


Say It with Flowers

by SasuNarufan13



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: A rather laid back Harry, Birth, Don't mess with Hermione, Harry's POV, Implied Harry/Ginny at first but that doesn't last long, Lemon, M/M, MPreg in later chapter, Reference to bigotry, Short flashback, Slight Drama, So weird to not write angst, Time Skips, birthday fic, mention of a fight, set after the war
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-03-07
Packaged: 2018-09-18 03:55:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 44,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9366923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SasuNarufan13/pseuds/SasuNarufan13
Summary: After the trial of the Malfoys ends, Harry starts receiving flowers. It takes a bit before he realises that the flowers aren't randomly chosen.





	1. Purple Hyacinth and White Campanula

**Author's Note:**

> Author's note: This fic is dedicated to babyvfan, because it's her birthday today! Happy birthday, sweetie! Now I said it would be a oneshot, but to be honest my time management really sucks and as I'm a stickler for posting fics on time, the oneshot turned into a multichaptered fic *coughs* Hope you won't mind ^^;
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling owns it.
> 
> Dedicated to: babyvfan
> 
> I hope you'll like it!

_Chapter 1 Purple Hyacinth and White Campanula_

"Draco Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy nee Black are deemed not guilty, due to them offering assistance to Harry Potter during the war," Judge Heatwing announced; his deep, gravelly voice travelling throughout the entire room as he read out the decisions of the jury. "Lucius Malfoy is sentenced to two years of house arrest for his involvement in the war. There will be restrictions put on his wand and an Auror will check on him weekly until his sentence is over."

Light blue eyes gazed out at the people gathered in the large room. "I declare this case closed. You are all dismissed."

As soon as the last word left the judge's mouth, an uproar erupted in the stands as people raged and screamed about the injustice of the decision, demanding that the Malfoys received a harsher punishment. Some wizards tried to climb over the stone wall separating the benches from the area where the accused awaited their fate, their wands waving dangerously through the air. The Aurors present rushed forwards, casting barriers to keep the agitated people from getting further and immobilizing the ones who tried to hex them.

Meanwhile two other Aurors were removing the shackles from the Malfoys' arms and legs, while a third one was casting the restrictions on the elder Malfoy's wand with a blank face.

The Aurors managed to calm down the angry crowd and they dispersed, muttering darkly and complaining loudly how the Malfoys had once again weaselled their way out of a real sentence.

As soon as most of the crowd had left the room, a lone figure in the furthest row in the back rose up from his seat; tucking his wand back into his pocket as he gazed wearily at the people shuffling their way out.

One would think that barely two months after the end of the war people wouldn't have the energy to get mad at things that really weren't their business. Clearly he was mistaken about that.

Checking a sigh and rubbing his forehead – spending the several days cooped up in stuffy, dark rooms, listening to testimonies and evidence and lawyers arguing was wearing him down and he was glad to finally go home – he started descending the small, stone steps; his footsteps easily swallowed by the noise other people were making.

He was nearly at the door, sweet freedom beckoning him, when someone called out to him.

"Potter!"

Surprised Harry turned around and cocked his head slightly when Malfoy halted a few feet away from him; his grey eyes unnaturally bright and large in his too narrow face.

"What, Malfoy?" Harry asked curiously, aware of the Aurors' eyes trained on them.

Malfoy swallowed visibly and suddenly his hand shot out and Harry had already taken a step back before he realised that the blond was merely holding out his hand and not going for an attack. He felt himself flush; old habits die hard, it seemed.

If Malfoy had noticed the small retreat, he didn't remark on it. Instead he kept his hand outstretched and with a tremble in his voice said, "I just want to – thank you, Potter. For helping my parents and for – for helping me."

Harry shrugged and smiled wryly. "We might not have got along during school, but that doesn't mean I want to see you behind bars. Very few people deserve Azkaban …" he trailed off, mind flashing back to some of the trials he had attended of Death Eaters who had tortured and killed people. _Those_ were the ones who deserved to be locked up in that awful place.

Someone scraping their throat behind him snapped him out of his thoughts and he shook his head to clear it. "Anyway, I was just telling the truth. That's all."

"Still, you could have chosen not to and for that I thank you," Malfoy stated and it was obvious that he would keep his hand stretched out until Harry either accepted it or snubbed him.

Harry studied him carefully. The pompous, arrogant bastard that had been Malfoy for a better part of their school years wasn't there anymore. In his place there was a determined, but insecure – _and broken just like you_ , a voice added in the back of his mind – young man who looked to be on the verge of being sick, but he remained standing there, his hand outstretched, running the risk to be rejected.

They had both come a long way since they had met as two small eleven year olds.

Harry smiled and accepted Malfoy's hand, shaking it firmly. Malfoy's touch was cool, his fingers a bit rough from being on his broom so much, but not unpleasant.

Malfoy looked shocked for a moment before he tightened his grip a bit. "Thanks," he added once more.

"No problem. See you around, Malfoy." Harry nodded and retracted his hand. He inclined his head to Malfoy's parents in greeting before he slipped out of the room.

He could finally go home.

* * *

"And do you think you're going back in September?" Hermione asked hesitatingly, biting her lower lip.

Harry sighed, tilting the bottle with milk a bit so that the baby in his arms could drink up the last bit of it. "I'm not sure, 'Mione," he admitted begrudgingly. "It's just … It feels weird going back after all that happened."

She tapped her fingers on the chipped table. "If you're not going back, what are you going to do then?"

"It's not like Harry really needs a degree," Ron snorted from the other side of the table. He was shovelling a plate of scrambled eggs in his mouth and Hermione grimaced in disgust. "I mean, he's Harry Potter! Everyone will hire him whether he has the skills or not."

"I'm not planning on banking on my fame," Harry said and shook his head. There was truth in what Ron said, though. He didn't think many people would protest his lack of degree if it meant they were the ones who could hire him.

"You might not think a degree is significant, Ron, but education is very important," Hermione sniffed and threw their ginger haired friend an admonishing look. "Has Ginny told you what she's going to do?"

Harry nodded, removing the bottle gently. Teddy grumbled in protest, but didn't start crying and merely blinked up at the dark haired man. After throwing a towel on his shoulder, he brought Teddy up and patted him gently on his back until he hiccupped and burped up some milk. "Good boy," Harry praised him and banished the soiled cloth to the washer upstairs, no longer bothered by it after having got a couple of months to get used to it. You couldn't take care of a baby and keep becoming bothered by the general mess that a baby produced.

As it was, Teddy was slowly transitioning to solid food, so that would help a bit with reducing the mess. At least that was what Harry hoped for.

"She told me she's planning on going back to finish school," he explained, lowering Teddy so that he was resting in his arms again. For now the baby seemed far too fascinated by his small fingers clenching and unclenching to go to sleep.

"And you?" Hermione raised an eyebrow, the stubborn glint in her eyes warning him she wouldn't let go of the topic before she received a satisfying answer.

Green eyes rolled, but Harry answered agreeably, "I'm planning on studying some subjects on my own and see whether they'll let me take the exams without having to go to class."

She nodded slowly, a light frown creasing her forehead. "That sounds like a good idea. Which subjects are you planning on – "

She was interrupted by a muffled 'thump' coming from the window and they turned around surprised. Teddy was clearly unbothered by the unexpected noise as he just kept cooing at his fists; his hair flickering between a dull brown and black.

A rusty brown coloured owl with a few white specks decorating his chest stared back at Harry solemnly before poking the window with his beak again, becoming impatient at the lack of reaction.

"Do you know the owl, Harry?" Ron asked curiously and after popping the last piece of his buttered toast in his mouth, he rose up from his chair and crossed the kitchen to open the window.

The owl hooted softly and flew soundlessly inside, landing in front of the dark haired wizard on the table. A small, rectangular, white box was tied around his right leg.

"No, I don't," Harry said, furrowing his eyebrows. Was it someone from the Ministry, like Kingsley? Or perhaps one of his 'admirers'? He grimaced at the thought. Just two days ago he had to get rid of three large piles of letters and presents from people trying to attract his attention.

Teddy took notice of the owl and his dark blue eyes widened surprised.

"Hermione, would you mind checking the package?" Harry asked, nodded at the little box. "I would do it, but I left my wand upstairs."

"Remember what Moody said, mate: constant vigilance," Ron teased him and sank back down on his chair, but the look he gave the owl was wary.

He had been there with Harry on the day he had visited Diagon Alley for the first time since the war had ended and a man angry at Harry for announcing that he would defend the Malfoys had tried to give him a present that would have exploded once Harry touched it. Ever since then they had become wary of presents that were given by people they didn't know.

"No problem, Harry," Hermione smiled and cast several Detection spells on the package, making sure to cover everything from hexes to curses to even invisible potion marks.

Everything was clear.

"Guess I just have to open it then," Harry muttered and with one hand untied the box from the owl's leg, who flew away the moment he was relieved from his burden.

Hermione nodded and used the Enlargement Charm to bring the box to its original size. The box expanded and as soon as it has reached its full height, the lid popped off and the four walls fell down, revealing –

A bouquet of flowers. Two different sorts of flowers to be exact. There were seven purple flowers which Harry recognised as purple hyacinth and the other half was white and was bell-shaped and it took him a bit before he remembered that the white ones were called white campanula. One of the Dursleys' neighbours had had those flowers in her garden every year.

"Eh." Ron looked dumbfounded, gaping at the flowers.

Even Hermione looked stunned; her brown eyes widening in surprise as she lowered her wand. She cleared her throat. "Eh, do you think they're from Ginny?"

A snort escaped Harry before he could stop it. "No, they're definitely not from her. She isn't fond of flowers, so she would never sent me them." A small folded card tied around a stem of one of the purple hyacinths caught his eyes and he plucked it off, studying it carefully.

The paper was quite thick and smelt heavily of the purple hyacinth. Gold lines were printed alongside the edges of the card with a small drawing of a rose etched into the middle of it.

"Go on, read it," Hermione encouraged him, looking anxiously and ready to snatch it away from him if he took any longer to read it.

Teddy seemingly had had enough excitement for this morning, because his eyes were starting to droop, his breathing slowly deepening, and Harry knew it wouldn't be long anymore before his godson would be fast asleep.

Curiosity welling up in him, he folded the card open and was greeted by an elegant handwriting.

' _Potter,_

_I know I already thanked you after the trial, but consider these flowers as my way of formally thanking you for everything you have done for me and my family. I really appreciate it._

_This bouquet is also my way of apologising for all the wrongdoings I committed against you during the past seven years. I know that flowers are not enough for the way I behaved, but I hope you can forgive me somewhere in the future._

_I want to start with a clean slate and I hope you will accept these flowers as a sign of my goodwill. Should you not, I will understand._

_Draco Malfoy'_

Flabbergasted Harry's eyes shot from the card to the flowers and back. Malfoy was giving him flowers to apologise and thank him? In what kind of alternate universe had he woken up this morning? And why two different flowers? Wouldn't one sort have sufficed? Or was he missing something here?

Well, Malfoy had always been one to prefer grand gestures. Harry closed the card and stared thoughtfully at the bouquet. If Malfoy wanted to say sorry and thank him yet again with these flowers, who was Harry to say no to him? It was a nice gesture after all – even if the choice of flowers was strange.

But he had never claimed to understand how Malfoy's brain worked. And the flowers were lovely …

"Who's it from?" Ron inquired curiously, leaning back into his chair.

Harry smiled bemused. "Someone who wants to make amends."


	2. Snowdrop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: I'm pleasantly surprised by the response this story received. I'm definitely not complaining about it LOL The meanings of the flowers will be given at the end of the story, though you're free to guess them already of course :) Some will probably be clearer than others.
> 
> Thanks for the kudos and the comments!
> 
> Warnings: Nothing special as far as I'm concerned; just a time skip
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling owns it.
> 
> I hope you'll like it!

_Chapter 2 Snowdrop_

"Almost done here, Teddy," Harry sighed and soothingly brushed a hand over Teddy's head.

"Bah," Teddy muttered disgruntled, but his fussing didn't grow out into crying, which in Harry's book counted as a win.

He was carrying around his nearly five month old godson in a sling; the baby's head resting against his chest. Carrying Teddy around in a sling was easier than toting him around in a pram, especially in a busy street like Diagon Alley. Going to Diagon Alley on a Tuesday after Hogwarts had officially started its new schoolyear ensured that the streets weren't that busy, but Harry had discovered that he liked having Teddy close to him. Using a sling also made it less likely for people to start crowding around him, like they were wont to do whenever he came out in public with Teddy lying in a pram. They still stared at him, still whispered about him when they thought he couldn't hear them, but the whole baby in a sling seemed to make them more hesitant to approach him, which he didn't complain about. Teddy also appreciated the distance they kept between him and them.

Ginny had jokingly remarked he would be one of those fussy, overprotective dads later.

"Just a couple more books and then we'll go home, hm?" Harry murmured, bypassing the aisle containing books about Herbology and Astronomy and entering one that held mostly books about Transfiguration.

"Buh," Teddy acquiesced; his right hand gripping Harry's shirt tightly, creasing it.

Harry hadn't yet figured out what exactly he wanted to do with the rest of his life. When McGonagall had asked him about his future job in his fifth year – which felt like a lifetime ago even if it had only been a couple of years – he had just blurted out the first thing that had come up in his mind and that had been Auror.

The war had made him weary of battling dark wizards, though, and he discovered he couldn't muster up the same enthusiasm for becoming an Auror anymore. He couldn't envision himself going after criminals day after day for years on end. He also had Teddy to think about – he didn't want to leave the boy behind without his godfather. Sure, he would still have his grandmother and even the Weasleys would be happy to take him in – but Remus had entrusted the care of his son to Harry and he was determined not to disappoint the man. Teddy already had to grow up without his parents, Harry would see to it that he wouldn't have to grow up without his godfather either. Sirius hadn't got that chance, but Harry did and he wasn't going to throw it away.

So with Auror dismissed as a potential job, Harry was lost as to what he could do now. After the initial idea of becoming an Auror, he hadn't thought of any other jobs he could possibly do. Truth be told, he hadn't expected to survive the war, so there had been no point in trying to decide which other jobs would be best suited for him.

He had survived the war, though, so now he had to figure out what he was going to do with the rest of his life.

He figured that studying the subjects that appeared the most interesting would be a good start. So far he had a couple of textbooks dealing with curses and hexes and how to recognise them; duelling; and even a book about charms. He had been relatively well at Transfiguration and decided that pursuing it further would be a good idea. If he encountered any trouble with it, he was certain that either Hermione or even McGonagall would be willing to help him out.

"Potter?"

The quiet, oddly subdued voice made Harry look up and when he glanced right, he saw Malfoy standing at the end of the aisle, a pile of four books clutched into his own hands.

"Malfoy," Harry greeted him surprised and grey eyes flickered towards Teddy for a brief moment before they latched back onto green ones.

"I thought you would have gone back to Hogwarts," Malfoy mentioned and there was not even a hint of a sneer in his voice. His cheeks didn't look sunken in anymore, like they had been during the trial, but there were light bags underneath his eyes, betraying his lack of decent rest.

Harry shrugged. "Didn't feel right," he replied lightly. "You?"

After he had received the bouquet a couple of weeks ago, he had sent a reply to thank the blond for the flowers, but there hadn't been any answer of the other man since.

"It seemed … prudent not to go back," Malfoy answered stiffly.

"Are they – is anyone giving you trouble?" Harry asked hesitatingly, not wanting to shatter the strange truce they had going on now. He hadn't heard of anyone targeting the Malfoys, but he hadn't paid much attention to the newspapers either.

A bitter smile graced Malfoy's lips. "Nothing we can't handle," he said dismissively. "The wards around the manor are impenetrable."

"That's good," Harry said slowly. Feeling a tad lost, he nodded to the books Malfoy was holding. "Are you going to study on your own?"

Malfoy looked at the books as if he hadn't realised he was holding them. "Yes, I've been thinking of becoming a Potions Master like Sev – I mean, I've always been good at potions, so that seemed like a good decision." He cleared his throat; a light flush dusting his cheekbones.

Harry ignored the slip – he still had trouble saying Sirius' name at times – and nodded. "I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do, so I just picked up books of different subjects."

"I thought you were planning on being an Auror?" Malfoy furrowed his eyebrows, ignoring a witch grumbling darkly as she passed him.

The dark haired man grimaced and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not – I found out that chasing dark wizards just isn't for me. One dark wizard was enough for me."

At that moment Teddy started fussing, his little fist smacking Harry's chest, and he wiggled around, face steadily reddening. His cue that he wanted to be fed or else he would start screaming like a banshee.

Immediately Harry started rubbing his small back, making shushing noises. "I know, I know, Teddy, you want to eat, but I still need to pay for these books. Then we can go home and I'll make you something, hm? Maybe some mashed potatoes and carrots?"

Teddy muttered something incomprehensible and looked torn between being mollified and frustrated.

"I can – if you want, I can ask the house elves to prepare something," Malfoy suddenly blurted out and Harry gaped at him, not sure whether he had heard him correctly.

"What?"

The flush on Malfoy's cheeks darkened and he looked away uncomfortably. "The house elves at the manor – they know what a baby eats and I figured that it would be a bit quicker than if you had to prepare something on your own."

"You want me and Teddy to come over to the manor?" Harry said slowly, mulling over the proposition.

After he and his friends had escaped the manor, he hadn't returned to the place; it wasn't like he had had any reason to. He knew that Andromeda had started getting into contact with Mrs. Malfoy after years of not speaking to each other, but as far as he knew the sisters hadn't met up at the manor yet.

"It's just … an offer. You don't have to come if you don't want; I'd understand," Malfoy muttered and looked extremely fascinated by a book about Animagi.

Harry looked down at Teddy and watery, blue eyes stared back before the baby rubbed his cheek against his chest. Having house elves prepare something would be quicker … Even with magic, it would take a bit before Teddy's meal was finished.

"Sure, why not?" Harry muttered and smiled. "If you or your parents don't mind."

"If I would have minded it, I wouldn't have offered, now would I?" Malfoy sniffed and Harry had to grin at the brief return of the haughtiness. The withdrawn posture of the blond had unsettled him, so it was great to see that there was still something of the old Malfoy in him.

"And my parents won't mind," Malfoy added almost absentmindedly. "I know Aunt Andromeda has been talking to mother about Teddy. I'll send a Patronus now, so the house elves will be ready by the time we're at the manor, okay?"

"Sounds good to me." Harry nodded and patted Teddy's back soothingly. "I'm going to pay for these books and then you can lead the way, all right?"

Malfoy nodded and withdrew his wand from his pocket.

Teddy started to whimper and Harry hurried to the counter, still bemused at the turn of events that had just taken place. Never in a million years had he thought he would willingly go to Malfoy Manor to have lunch of all things, but here he was now.

_Guess this goes with him wanting to start a clean slate_ , Harry mused and handed over the money at the blushing girl behind the counter, who was putting his books into a bag.

If Malfoy was making an effort to be civil to him, Harry could hardly remain behind, right? Besides, he was tired of having enemies; one person less wanting to curse him was something he could very much appreciate.

Malfoy looked uncharacteristically nervous when Harry met up with him at the entrance of the store.

"I already sent a Patronus," he told Harry; his left hand clenched around a bag of his own.

"Lead the way," Harry smiled and followed the blond out of the store, ignoring the stunned looks they received. Him leaving together with Malfoy would probably end up in the newspapers tomorrow – because nowadays everything he did seemed worthy of being spread out in the papers – but he couldn't find it in him to care. It was his business and his alone what he did after all.

But who would have thought going to the bookstore would end up in going to Malfoy Manor with Malfoy?

Teddy gurgled seemingly in agreement with Harry's thoughts.

* * *

The first time seeing Malfoy's parents again after the trial was kind of awkward. Lucius had completely ignored him, not even glancing at him, but Harry hadn't been too bothered by that. He didn't think he and the older Malfoy would ever get along, considering the history between them.

Mrs. Malfoy had been friendlier; still somewhat cool and standoffish, but noticeably warmer than her husband. She had inquired after his plans and after lunch was finished, she had suggested that he'd stay, so that Teddy could take a nap. Taken off guard by the unexpected invitation, he had blurted out an agreement before he fully realised what was going on. The brief surprised, but pleased look on Mrs. Malfoy's face had told him he had given the right answer.

All in all, the day had passed by rather pleasantly, even if it had been awkward at times, and Harry had left Malfoy Manor that evening with an invitation to return.

It had been odd to interact amicably with Malfoy instead of cursing and sneering at each other like they had done at school, but Harry couldn't say he missed the animosity. He and Malfoy were still treading carefully around each other, testing the waters, but the first afternoon in each other's company had gone by surprisingly well.

It had gone so well actually that Harry found himself going back to Malfoy Manor two days later, this time sans Teddy as he was staying with his grandmother. Somehow they started studying together, Harry ploughing through the heavy lecture of curses and their defences while Malfoy diligently studied potions from tomes so old, Harry was surprised the pages didn't disintegrate into dust the moment Malfoy laid eyes on them.

"Hermione thinks I'm crazy because I'm hanging out with you," Harry mentioned casually one afternoon at the end of September. He had been a regular visitor at Malfoy Manor for four weeks now and last night during their weekly Floo call, Hermione had forced him to admit where he was during the days when they couldn't reach him through the Floo. Her face when he told her had been hilarious, even if he had spent more than an hour reassuring both her and Ron that no, of course he wasn't cursed. They still hadn't been entirely convinced when they said their goodbyes and he probably could expect another conversation about it next time they Floo called.

"Not like it's the first time you've been declared insane," Malfoy said dryly, turning the page in his book. He was surrounded by three thick books, a pile of parchment and an inkwell, while his quill hovered above the parchment. There was a speck of ink right next to his nose, from where he had been a bit too enthusiastically writing his notes down.

"Yeah, but usually that was the press, not my friends," Harry pointed out and clucked his tongue.

It was silent for a bit until Harry became aware of eyes on him and when he glanced up, he saw Malfoy gazing at him with a weird look on his face. "What?"

"Does it bother you?" Malfoy asked; a frown creasing his forehead.

"What? Oh, you mean, Hermione's reaction?" Harry snorted and shook his head. "She'll get used to it. Ron as well," he added, though he suspected it would take the ginger haired man longer, considering the history between the Weasleys and the Malfoys.

Malfoy tapped his quill on his parchment. "Do you want her to get used to it?"

"You really have an odd way of asking questions, you know," Harry complained and sighed when Malfoy just regarded him with piercing, but unreadable eyes. "Look, if I didn't want to be here, I wouldn't be. I thought you'd know that by now."

"So, are we … friends?" Malfoy asked slowly, appearing quite conflicted.

Harry lowered the quill on the table and leant back in his chair, studying the blond man across from him intently. They hadn't talked about what they did now. Malfoy had extended the invitation to come over whenever he wanted and Harry had accepted it, falling into an easy routine with the grey eyed wizard. Hanging out with Malfoy wasn't something he had envisioned doing after the war, but the other man was surprisingly good company once you got past the snark and the standoffish nature. Sure, they argued – it was practically imbedded in their nature to argue with each other – but the arguments this time around didn't turn into full-fledged fights and they parted amiably each time.

He actually found himself having fun bantering with Malfoy.

It made Harry wonder more than once whether this was what it would have been like if he had accepted Malfoy's hand of friendship all those years ago.

"Forget what I said," Malfoy muttered abruptly, looking cross.

"No wait, I was just thinking - "

"Don't hurt yourself, Potter."

Harry serenely ignored him and continued, "That I enjoy hanging out with you more than I thought I would."

"I – thanks, I guess?" Malfoy looked confused, but his cheeks coloured a light rose and he rubbed the back of his neck. "You're not so bad yourself."

Harry grinned and in an impulse he leant over the table and offered his hand. "Let's start over," he said determined while the confusion on the blond's face grew. "Hello, my name is Harry Potter. It's nice to meet you."

Shock crossed Malfoy's face and wonder flashed by quickly before a smirk settled around his lips and he reached out to accept Harry's hand. "Draco Malfoy. It's nice to meet you too."

"Well, Draco, think you're up for some Quidditch?" Harry grinned impishly, stretching out his arms until his back popped. Calling the other man by his first name felt a bit weird, but he figured he would get used to it. "The letters are starting to dance in front of my eyes and I need a break."

Mal – _Draco_ snorted. "Sometimes I wonder whose attention span is better: yours or Teddy's." In spite of that, he closed his books and stood up, nodding at a house elf when the elf started clearing the table. He strode towards the door of the library and looked back with an eyebrow cocked. "Ready to get your arse handed to you, _Harry_?" he smirked.

"As if," Harry retorted and hurried after the blond.

Say what you want of the Malfoys, but they had an _amazing_ Quidditch pitch and Harry would be a fool not to take advantage of that.

_Besides_ , he thought amused as he caught grey eyes when they both raced after the elusive Snitch, _Draco needs to let loose sometimes and who better to remind him of that than his friend?_

* * *

"Maybe you can come visit us during the Halloween weekend?" Ginny suggested; her fiery hair practically blending in between the red flames. Tonight was one of the few nights she had enough time to Floo call with Harry. "You can take Teddy with you."

Harry hummed, his thoughts going towards the baby peacefully asleep upstairs. "I'll ask Andromeda. Maybe she has plans."

She laughed. "Plans with a baby who's barely seven months old by then? I don't think so, but – "

Whatever she wanted to say next was cut off by the sound of clatter at the window. A familiar rusty brown owl stared back at Harry solemnly through the window before he spread out his wings and tapped the window impatiently with his beak.

"Give me a minute," he muttered and crossed the room; something akin to butterflies fluttering in his stomach as he thought he knew what the owl was delivering.

He was right.

As soon as the window was open, the owl swooped inside and landed on the coffee table, hooting softly as he offered his leg. Around it a small, white box was tied and Harry couldn't supress a grin when he freed the owl from his burden. Another soft hoot and the owl flew silently back out of the window.

A quick Enlargement Charm brought the box to its original height again and just like the previous time – Merlin, had it already been two months since then? – the lid popped open and the sides of the box fell down, revealing a small bouquet of snowdrops tied together with a dark blue string.

Where had Draco managed to get snowdrops at this time of the year?

Shaking his head in wonder, Harry gently removed the card from between the flowers and opened it. The card only contained a single sentence: ' _Thank you for giving me a second chance.'_

"Harry, who gave you those flowers?" Ginny asked perplexed, staring wide eyed at the beautiful snowdrops, which seemed to shimmer in the light of the fire.

Harry smiled, trailing a finger down a petal. "I made a new friend two days ago," he simply answered.

He would need to thank Draco for the flowers next time he saw him. Even if the flowers were unnecessary and unconventional, Harry appreciated the thought behind them.

He went to bed that night with a smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: It feels so weird to write without angst :O And to write a chill Harry ...
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me!
> 
> I hope to see you all in the next chapter: Purple Lilac and Peony.
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	3. Purple Lilac and Peony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: This chapter kind of ran away with me *coughs* It's quite a bit longer than the previous two which is why it took me until now to finish it. Thank you so much for the reviews! I didn't expect so many for a story like this, so I'm really happy you're proving me wrong! And guys, more than 100 kudos already? :O I practically squealed when I noticed the number!
> 
> Thanks for the kudos and the comments!
> 
> Warnings: Hm, mention of a fight, though not explicit; emotional Christmas scene; fluff? I guess; Harry being rather blasé overall; time skips
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling owns it.
> 
> I hope you'll like it!

_Chapter 3 Purple Lilac and Peony_

"Still meeting up with Malfoy?" Hermione asked apprehensively, her hands wrapped around her mug of hot chocolate.

The Three Broomsticks was filled to the brim with Hogwarts students enjoying their first weekend away from school. Every seat was taken and there were even extra chairs conjured; glasses filled with drinks floated through the air and landed in front of the customers. Laughter filled the air, together with the loud chattering of the students.

"Bah," Teddy muttered, smacking a tiny fist on the table. He was sitting on Harry's lap, leaning back against the young man's stomach and his dark blue eyes swivelled back and forth in wonder. So far he seemed more entranced by the ruckus than bothered by it.

"Yes, I am," Harry answered calmly, smiling down at Teddy when the baby slapped both hands on the table.

Ginny frowned; the corners of her mouth pulled down in displeasure. "If you're that bored, you can just join us in the common room. Or stay at mum's place; you know she loves to have you over."

He sighed; annoyance flaring up briefly at having to go through this argument again. "I'm not bored, Ginny," he said resolutely, grabbing Teddy's fists and keeping them loosely in his own hands so that the boy wouldn't hurt himself. "I like hanging out with Draco. He's become a good friend."

An incredulous chuckle left her glossy lips. "Have you forgotten whose side he was on during the war?"

"We're just worried, mate," Ron added; a deep frown etched into his forehead as he shifted his half empty glass of Butterbeer back and forth between his hands. "What if Malfoy is planning something?"

"Like what?" Harry asked exasperatedly. "Seriously what could he be planning? It's not like Voldemort is still around to hand me over to him! And may I remind you of the fact that Draco refused to hand us over when we were caught?"

Hermione winced and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "We just worry, Harry," she said softly and worried her lower lip between her teeth. "You and Malfoy have always gone at it like cats and dogs, so it's weird that you're suddenly friends now."

"Not that weird," Harry said contemplatively, stroking Teddy's fists softly. "He wanted to be friends when we met on the train but I refused. Then with the Sorting Hat – we were practically dropped into being rivals. Neither of us are blameless; we all made mistakes. But he made the first step and I'm tired of fighting, 'Mione. So yeah, I gave him a chance and so far he hasn't done anything yet to make me regret that."

"His father gave me Riddle's diary on purpose!" Ginny hissed; her brown eyes flashing with fury.

Teddy started fussing, his lower lip trembling, obviously startled by the vicious sound. Harry frowned and turned him around so that his head rested against Harry's shoulder. He pressed a kiss on Teddy's forehead and rubbed soothingly over his back.

"It's okay, Teddy," he muttered and the six month old baby quietened down a bit. As soon as he was certain that Teddy wouldn't start crying he looked up again. "Exactly, the one who gave you the diary was his father, not Draco himself. There's no point in blaming him for something his father did!"

"As if Malfoy is innocent!" she sneered; her fingers tightening around her glass of Butterbeer. "He became a Death Eater, Harry! He tried to kill Dumbledore! He let Death Eaters inside the school! My brother got hurt because of what he did!"

"And I nearly killed him during sixth year because I didn't know what the spell would do," Harry said quietly. "Am I excusing Draco's behaviour? No. What he did was wrong. But he did it to save his parents and honestly? I can't blame him for that. Would I have done the things he did? I probably wouldn't have. But I would have done everything I could if it meant my parents would have been safe. We were just stupid kids, Ginny. We both made mistakes. We just chose to move past them."

"Well, good for you then, but not everyone is capable of doing that!" Ginny spat and she shoved her chair backwards, storming out of the pub before either of them could stop her.

"She has a bit of a difficult time getting used to the fact that you're meeting up with Malfoy," Hermione said with a sigh.

"I can't say I blame her," Ron muttered petulantly.

"I'm not asking either of you to befriend him," Harry countered irritated. "I'd just appreciate it if you'd stop thinking Draco is up to something and just accept that I know what I'm doing."

"We trust you," Hermione reassured him hastily and Ron grunted in agreement.

They just didn't trust Draco.

* * *

"So I heard you defended my honour against the Weasleys?" Draco drawled in place of a greeting when Harry entered the large library.

"Hello to you too, Draco," Harry retorted dryly and plopped down in the empty armchair in front of the marble hearth. Usually they sat with their books at the large table, but he was grateful for the warmth of the fire. The start of November had announced itself with a lot of streaming rain and howling cold wind.

"You look like crap," Draco remarked and closed the book he had been reading.

"Teddy's not sleeping well," Harry groaned and rubbed a hand over his forehead. "Andromeda thinks he's started teething."

"Sucks to be you," Draco said without remorse and Harry threw him a half-hearted scowl. "Now why did you feel the need to defend my honour?"

"Your honour?" Harry muttered perplexed, completely thrown off guard. "What are you talking about?"

"Your nice conversation with your friends at the Three Broomsticks," Draco offered as explanation, tapping his fingers on the heavy tome.

"How do you know about that?"

"Blaise was there; didn't you notice him?"

"Zabini?" Harry tried to recall whether he had seen the dark skinned man, but his mind came up blank. "He must have come in after we already had a table, because I can't remember seeing him."

"You might not have seen him, but he definitely heard what you were saying," Draco smirked, leaning back into his chair.

Green eyes rolled. "It was just an argument we've had before. I'm hoping they'll finally stop bringing it up after this," he sighed and absentmindedly scratched the back of his left hand.

"Unlikely," Draco murmured and pursed his lips, regarding Harry oddly. "You don't look too bothered by it."

"Why would I be?" Harry shrugged, pulling a book about Animagi out of his bag. He had been contemplating for a while now whether he would become an Animagus like his dad and Sirius, but he hadn't been able to make a decision yet. Becoming an animal could be quite handy – unless the animal he became would be essentially useless like a chicken or so. He furrowed his eyebrows as he stared down at the cover of a man with the shadow of a horse behind him; could people actually turn into something like a chicken for their Animagus form?

"Because you had a fight with your friends about me again?" Draco suggested and rested his head on his left fist. His mouth twitched with a peculiar smile. "Because you pissed off your girlfriend by defending me?"

"Ginny will get over it," Harry commented flippantly and bypassing the author's note, he opened the book on the first chapter. "And Ron and Hermione will get used to it. It's not like I'm forcing them to become friends with you."

"Please don't subject me to that torture," Draco drawled and crossed his legs. "Just a question, though: what if they don't get over it?"

His tone was blasé and purposely light-hearted, but Harry caught the underlying note of apprehension and he looked up sharply. "Then they don't get over it. Big deal. I'll just make sure to limit the interaction between you."

He didn't think either Hermione or Ron nor Ginny would ever go out of their way to meet up with Draco anyway. Not if they could help it.

"You're surprisingly calm about this," Draco murmured; his eyes half lidded.

"And you're surprisingly bothered by it," Harry quipped lightly.

"I'm not bothered by it," Draco said defensively and there was a hint of petulance in his voice. "I'm just …"

"It's my decision whether or not I want to be your friend," Harry said after a short pause, having pinpointed what was really bothering the blond wizard. For someone who had acted so confidently all those years, Draco had a surprisingly insecure side. Harry knew better than to remark on that, though; he didn't fancy being hexed by the irate blond. "I don't care whether they like my decision or not; it's my life, simple as that. So stop worrying about it; you should know I'm not that easily influenced."

"I'm not worried," Draco sniffed and scowled, but his shoulders relaxed slightly and he opened his book with a content glint in his grey eyes.

Harry stifled a smile behind his hand and started reading his own chapter; their breathing and the turning of pages the only sounds disturbing the quiet in the library.

* * *

If a grateful smile flashed across Draco's face when Harry squeezed his shoulder a few hours later when he left to his own house, well, the dark haired man was smart enough not to remark on it.

* * *

"Mother really adores the bracelet you gave her," Draco commented as he came to a halt next to Harry. His breath formed white clouds and he shivered visibly before he cast a Warm Up Charm on himself.

Above them starts were twinkling against the midnight blue sky. Light of the half full moon illuminated the large garden vaguely; rose bushes and trees casting long shadows across the ground.

"I'm glad to hear that," Harry smiled, pleasantly warm thanks to his own Warm Up Charm despite standing outside at the end of December. Out of his peripheral vision he noticed Draco gazing at him thoughtfully.

"Is there a reason why you're outside and not inside?" Draco questioned curiously, leaning back against the wall.

Vaguely Harry could hear Teddy inside laughing brightly at whatever his grandmother was doing. It was the baby's first Christmas and the little boy had been more interested in the wrapping paper than his actual presents.

"It's a nice evening," Harry replied absentmindedly and shrugged. "I figured I'd go outside for a little while before going back in. Andromeda and your mother are keeping Teddy entertained so I don't have to worry about him."

Draco hummed and crossed his arms loosely. "Not wishing you were at the Weasleys?" he asked teasingly, but his eyes glinted hard.

The dark haired man snorted. "We're not attached to the hip," he answered dryly. "Besides I see them tomorrow. It's not a big deal."

"So Weaslette didn't mind that you're spending Christmas with me?" Draco questioned sceptically, raising a blond eyebrow.

Harry made a vague gesture with his hand. "She's getting used to my spending time with you, I think," he replied elusory.

He and Ginny had had some arguments about him spending Christmas with the Malfoys ever since Draco had asked him whether he wanted to come over. She definitely hadn't been happy about it; there had even been a memorable near screaming match through the Floo before Hermione had hastily broken them up. She had appeared to be under the assumption that he would grow bored with his friendship with Draco and would stop seeing him; he still hadn't figured out why exactly she would have assumed that, considering he was serious about his friendships with other people. Case in point being Ron and Hermione who had been his closest friends since he had met them during first year.

He had never been one to take a friendship with someone lightly; that probably had to do with the fact that he hadn't had any friends growing up thanks to Dudley's interference. So why Ginny had thought that he had just been messing around with Draco … Well, he had never claimed to understand girls.

Only last week they had finally stopped arguing about it after Harry had promised he would visit the Weasleys on Boxing Day. He had been planning to visit them on that day regardless, but Ginny had seemed to want verbal assurance. It didn't matter; he was already glad that they had finally stopped fighting about his decision.

"And you expect me to believe that?" Draco scoffed and scowled at him.

Harry grinned cheekily back. "Well, I'm here, right? You're not getting rid of me," he stated cheerily and glanced at the night sky one last time before he turned around, ready to go back inside. "I still need to give you your gift, come on," he hummed and pulled Draco along by tugging on his wrist, cheerfully ignoring the blond's growling and attempts at freeing himself.

Harry disregarded the glow of the twinkling bright lights of the Christmas tree beckoning him from the living room, where Teddy was crying out in delight and Andromeda could be heard talking to her sister. Instead he turned right and ascended the staircase; candles illuminating the steps.

"Where are we going?" Draco asked suspiciously. He had given up on trying to break free from Harry's grip and instead was trudging alongside the dark haired man with a light frown marring his forehead.

"The library," Harry replied, aware of the eyes of the portraits' owners that were following him curiously as they walked past them. "I asked one of the house elves to put your gift there."

"Why?" Draco questioned warily; his blond hair glistening faintly in the light of the candles.

A faint smile graced Harry's lips. "Because it's a bit too big to just haul it underneath the tree."

"Do I even want to know what it is?"

"I think you want to, yeah," Harry retorted determined and came to a halt in front of the library where they had spent many days already cooped up inside. He released Draco's wrist – flushing a bit when he realised he had been holding him this entire time – and pushed the door open. "After you."

Grey eyes threw him a decidedly unimpressed look, but the blond wizard entered the large room with a huff, striding inside, halting in front of the table. "All right, where's the gift?"

Harry closed the door behind him and chuckled amused. "Turn around."

He didn't even have to look up to know when Draco had realised what exactly his gift was, his soft gasp of shock audible proof of it, but he still did it, not wanting to miss even the most minuscule twitch in the young man's face.

"Harry, how …" Draco trailed off, clearly lost for words, as he wandered closer to the portrait which a house elf had hung up above the fireplace.

Dark eyes scrutinized the dumbstruck blond man below the portrait for a moment before the heavy gaze shot towards Harry and the older man tsk'd. "So this is why you ordered a second portrait," the painted image of Severus Snape spoke; his hand resting on a heavy tome as the Potions Master himself was seated in a comfortable chair.

The comfortable chair should have looked out of place in the midst of a potion's lab, but it oddly fit.

"I figured you'd like to get out of the Headmistress' office once in a while, sir," Harry said, drawing nearer until he halted next to Draco. "I didn't think you'd like to listen to gossip the entire day."

"So you did have some talent for observation," Snape sneered and Harry grinned.

"No need to thank me, sir," Harry smirked and turned towards Draco, his amusement turning into worry when he saw how still the blond was. "Draco? Is this – I thought you'd like a chance to talk to Snape sometimes. Maybe discuss potions?"

Had he gone overboard? It was just … He had thought Draco would like the chance to talk to Snape again; Merlin knew how much Harry would give just for a chance to talk to Sirius one more time.

"How did you manage to convince the board to make a portrait of him?" Draco asked quietly; his face unnervingly blank.

Feeling a tad restless, Harry started rocking back and forth slightly. "It wasn't so much convincing as telling them they would have no choice but to create a portrait of him because he had still been Headmaster of the school," he admitted wryly.

"I suspect you threatening to release some nasty rumours about them helped convince them more," Snape said silkily and smirked at Harry's shocked face. "Like you said, Potter, the portraits gossip. A lot."

"Ah well, it got them to approve the commission, so …" Harry trailed off, his cheeks heating up uncomfortably underneath Draco's surprised gaze. He cleared his throat and waved haphazardly at Snape. "So what do you think of it?"

"Thank you, Harry." Draco's voice was quiet, almost inaudible, but sincere and Harry smiled softly.

"No problem," he said and squeezed Draco's shoulder briefly. "At least now you have someone to discuss potions with, right? I don't have to pretend anymore that I understand everything you say," he added with a grin.

Draco stirred, the blank mask melting off, and he rolled his eyes. "Maybe you should try to understand at least half of what I tell you," he snipped and stuck his hand into his pocket to retrieve –

A flat present wrapped in dark green paper, which had delicate flowers pressed into it, outlined in silver.

"Here, my Christmas gift to you," Draco said brusquely and held it out to a surprised Harry.

"Oh, you didn't have to get me anything," Harry said hastily, thrown off guard.

"Harry, you even gave father a present. Just shut up and accept the gift, okay?" Draco returned exasperatedly and pushed the present in Harry's hand; the small size belying its rather heavy weight.

Bemused – and a bit pleased if he had to admit – he undid the black string and dropped it on the table, acutely aware of two gazes resting on him: one filled with anticipation and the other one neutral, bordering on bored. He removed the paper carefully, the folds falling open easily until it revealed the gift inside.

Harry stilled and curiosity bloomed inside him when green eyes took in the object lying in the palm of his hand. It was a golden pocket watch with a long thin chain that glittered in the light of the flames dancing in the hearth. Right in the middle of the watch a lion was engraved, standing up on his back paws while his mouth was open in a silent roar. On each side of the lion there was a dragon engraved, whose claws reached out to the lion. Long, thin tongues slithered out of their open mouths and their body tapered off into a curled tail. Harry thought they might be some kind of water dragon given their lack of lower legs.

"Open it," Draco urged him; his grey eyes quite intense when Harry chanced a look at him.

Not having any idea what to expect – save for the customary mini clock in it – he was shocked when the watch clicked open, revealing the mini portrait inside on its left side.

His heart clenched and he became so overwhelmed by the sudden influx of grief and happiness that he could do nothing but stare speechlessly at the picture.

A young Sirius Black, face still youthfully smooth, yet to be marred by scars and worry lines, grinned back at him and waved cheerfully, winking. He was dressed in nothing but a black shirt and ripped jeans and judging by how young he looked, he could be no older than twenty at most; his smile not yet tainted by years of pain, grief and loss.

"I didn't know what to give you," Draco broke the heavy silence; a hint of embarrassment colouring his voice. "I was thinking of something related to Quidditch until I found this. I was in the attic a week ago and I found the picture in one of the boxes mother brought with her when she married father. She didn't tell me how she got a hold of that picture, but I figured you might want to have it. I know it's nothing like an actual portrait, but - "

He cut himself off, body stiffening in shock, when Harry threw his arms around his neck and hugged him tightly; the pocket watch clenched firmly in his right hand.

"Thank you," Harry whispered thickly, face hidden in Draco's neck, and he laughed watery. "Thank you, this is the best gift someone could get me."

Draco sniffed haughtily. "Of course it is. I'm great at finding presents," he stated arrogantly, but his own arms closed around Harry's waist, returning the embrace.

Not even Snape's disgusted mutter of "Gryffindors and their bloody sentimentality" could temper the warm glow spreading throughout Harry's entire body.

"Merry Christmas, Harry," Draco muttered in his ear and Harry smiled.

_Merry Christmas indeed._

* * *

"Floo call me immediately once you're back home," Ginny demanded; her hand gripping his own tightly.

"What if you're in class then?" Harry asked amused, reclining deeper into the pillow.

"Fine, send an owl then." She rolled her eyes, but the gesture was ruined by the relief practically radiating off her.

"We're serious, mate," Ron added, still dressed in his Quidditch uniform. "Just so we know you're all right."

"I'll be fine, guys, honestly," Harry reassured them. "If it was up to me, I would already be home but the Healer wants to keep me overnight."

"Which is a good idea," Hermione retorted sharply; her brown eyes lightly red rimmed. Her hands were clutching her dark robe tightly. "We don't want you to get worse."

"And I won't," Harry insisted. "I'll be fine, honest. Now as much as I love you guys, isn't it time you go back to Hogwarts? I thought you said McGonagall only gave you two hours, 'Mione."

The brunette flushed and her eyes widened when she glanced at the clock. "I guess we should go," she admitted reluctantly and rose up slowly from the chair; her eyes flitting back and forth between Harry and the clock.

"Right," Ron muttered, clearly not wanting to go.

"Seriously, go. I very much doubt anything is going to happen to me here, except for me becoming bored," Harry sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Don't forget to send an owl," Ginny reminded him and they shared a brief kiss before she followed Ron and Hermione out of the hospital room; three pairs of eyes throwing him one last concerned look before the door closed behind them, cutting off the room from the noisy corridor.

With a groan Harry settled deeper into the small bed and rubbed his forehead, taking care not to aggravate the cut there. The snow in early January had made place for heavy rain at the end of the month and water was streaming down the window, the cast over, grey sky darkening the room.

He had been happy to see his friends, but he felt relieved that they were gone now. His head was pounding and their fussing and concern were a bit too much to deal with now.

After months of not having anything remarkable happening, he had landed in the hospital today after being attacked by a witch. He had been in Diagon Alley to pick up some books about dark creatures when a dark haired woman had accosted him, demanding to know why he was hanging out with "scum" like the Malfoys instead of helping people in need.

Already annoyed at the fact that he had been swarmed by people before he could enter a store, he had brushed her off and had marched out of the bookstore, intent on going home. The Blasting Curse had caught him off guard and he had slammed into the wall of the apothecary, bashing his head against it. The sharp pain – as if a hammer was continuously hitting his skull – had made him disorientated and only instinct – ingrained in him due to the war – had made him roll away on time, avoiding a Disarming Spell that would have left him utterly defenceless without his wand.

Despite the pounding headache and having his balance completely disrupted, he had given as good as he got, avoiding more curses and hexes as other people screamed and ran away. By the time Aurors had arrived on the scene, he had finally managed to rip her wand away and tie her up with ropes.

Kingsley had been there too and he had insisted on escorting Harry to Saint Mungos to have his wounds checked out. Harry had protested, but Kingsley had been relentless and had guided him to the hospital.

He had some minor cuts on his arms and cheeks and a rather large gash on his forehead from where he had slammed it against a windowsill. Despite the relative minor wounds, the Healer had insisted that he remained overnight to ensure there wasn't anything they were missing.

Kingsley had taken his testimony of the attack, assuring him the woman had already been brought to the Ministry before leaving him alone – though Harry suspected there was an Auror standing guard in the corridor.

Not even ten minutes after the older wizard had left, Ron, Hermione and Ginny had burst into the room; the Evening Prophet having alerted them of the attack.

So now he was here: stuck in a hospital room all because of one woman who thought she had a right to tell him what to do with his life.

At least he hadn't had Teddy with him. He would have done worse than attacking her with minor hexes if she had hurt his godson.

A knock on the door made him turn his head to it in confusion. Wasn't it too early for the Healer to perform another check-up? "Yeah?"

The door opened slowly and a familiar blond head poked inside. "Only you can manage to have a boring shopping trip end up in a battle," Draco drawled with a smirk and entered the room.

"Shut up," Harry groaned and sat up straighter, but he couldn't supress a small smile. "You read it in the Prophet, huh?"

"They were quite generous with the details. They even managed to capture your good side," Draco remarked dryly and came to a stop on Harry's left side; one of his arms held behind his back. Grey eyes studied him intently. "They're keeping you here?"

"Yeah, for the night," Harry sighed and rubbed his forehead where a potion was slowly healing the deep gash. "They don't want me to worsen." He rolled his eyes.

"Well, they can't have the famous Harry Potter worsening underneath their watch now, can they?" Draco riposted and if he had been anyone else, he would have chirped it. He seemed to be conflicted; his mouth turned into a faint grimace.

"I'm fine, honest," Harry said quietly, having read the concern in Draco's eyes. "They're just overreacting."

"I'm not worried," Draco instantly replied and stood straighter.

Green eyes regarded him sceptically for a moment before they switched to the arm half hidden behind the blond's back. "What are you holding behind your back?" Harry inquired, curiosity piqued.

"Something that's customary whenever you visit someone in the hospital," Draco drawled and brought his arm from behind his back, showing off what he had been hiding.

Harry laughed delighted when he took in the small bouquet of flowers presented to him. "I should have known," he grinned, accepting the delicately wrapped flowers.

The bouquet was made up out of two kinds of flowers like the first bouquet had been, but the combination was a rather strange, though appealing one. Tiny purple flowers forming small bushes of their own around their stems greeted him first; the strong fragrance of the purple lilac – a flower he had grown for years in the garden of the Dursleys – dancing around him, filling his nostrils with the nice scent.

The purple lilacs formed a circle around one lonely flower which was put right in the middle of the bouquet. A light pink peony stood out starkly against the sea of purple and the delicate petals looked soft to the touch.

This was the third bouquet Harry had received from Draco thus far and he was starting to think that the flowers weren't as randomly chosen as he first thought they were.

"The flowers – they have a specific meaning, right?" he asked; his gaze fixated on the lonely peony. He touched one of the petals carefully.

Draco stilled next to him. "They do, yes," he admitted after a short, pregnant pause.

"What do these flowers mean?" Harry questioned, entranced by the mixture of soft pink and bright purple.

"The peony is associated with healing," Draco told him and the teasing tone was audible in his voice when he added, "I figured it was appropriate considering you ended up in the hospital."

"And the purple lilacs?"

Draco was silent for so long that Harry looked up just to make sure he hadn't somehow left the room without the dark haired man aware of it. The intensity in those bright grey eyes made his breath hitch and he froze underneath the heavy gaze.

"Why don't you try to figure it out?" Draco suggested and the smile playing around the corners of his mouth was peculiar. "I know how much you love mysteries."

Well, he had never been able to say no to a good mystery. Funny though, how a lot of the mysteries in his life had had something to do with the blond standing calmly next to the bed.

At least this mystery isn't a life threatening one, Harry consoled himself, eyes lured back to the beautiful bouquet in his hands.

Guess he could add books about flowers to his shopping list now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: Seriously, I know I'm repeating myself, but it's odd to write a story without much angst :O It feels unnatural O_O *coughs* Anyway, please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me!
> 
> Next chapter will have violets and veronicas as focus :) 
> 
> I hope to see you all back in the next chapter!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	4. Violet and Veronica

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: When I started writing this chapter, I didn't think I would get past 3K. *pauses* It somehow became nearly 6K in the end. I don't know limits, let that be known *smacks head on desk*
> 
> Thanks for the kudos (already more than 150?!) and the comments!
> 
> Can I just say how amazed I am with the response to this story? You all rock!
> 
> Warnings: Hm, some drama I guess and reference to bigotry? Not sure how to tag it, but just in case; timeskip
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling owns it.
> 
> I hope you'll like it!

_Chapter 4 Violet and Veronica_

Figuring out the meanings of the flowers had to be put on hold for now. When Harry was allowed to leave the next morning, because his condition hadn't worsened overnight – something he had repeatedly told the Healers, but who would listen to him, right? It's not like he knew how he felt or so. – Kingsley had been there at the entrance, waiting for him.

"I gave you my testimony last night, didn't I?" Harry frowned and halted right in front of the older man. Some of the patients waiting to see a Healer or a Mediwitch craned their necks, staring at him wide eyed. He ignored them, having discovered that if he didn't look back the people were less likely to approach him.

Perhaps having the Head Auror standing in front of him also helped keep them plastered on their seats.

Kingsley's eyes flickered to the flowers Harry held in his left hand and he quirked a faint smile before he sobered up. "You did, yes, but I'm here to guide you to the courtroom."

Harry stilled and narrowed his eyes. "Why? The trials for the Death Eaters have been finished for months now, right?"

"Yes, but it's not a trial for a Death Eater," Kingsley replied and gestured for Harry to follow him out of the hospital. "The courtroom is assembling for the trial of the woman who attacked you yesterday."

"What?" Harry jerked to a stop, taken by surprise at the unexpected answer. "How can that trial start already? She only attacked me yesterday! Don't trials like this one usually take months before they appear in court?"

That was what Hermione had told him anyway when the trials for the Death Eaters had been going on. She had worried that the rush to punish the Death Eaters for their crimes in the war would lead to mistakes being made in the trials. Some trials took years to be completed simply because gathering the evidence and getting testimonies could take a long time.

The Death Eater trials last year had been an exception because people had wanted to see them punished as soon as possible and the Ministry had hurried to comply, eager to return to the way things had been before the war had broken out.

Kingsley grimaced and looked at him apologetically. "Normally it would take at least a few months, yes, considering the trials just keep piling up, but they're making an exception now," he explained wryly.

"An exception? Why would they …" Harry trailed off, his expression souring as realisation sank in. "It's because it's me she attacked, right?"

"Yes," the older man sighed and grimaced. "The press has been going crazy about it, so they want to handle this off quickly."

Harry scowled, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Hadn't they yet realised that he didn't need special treatment merely because of who he was?

Kingsley clapped his shoulder. "You can try to protest the treatment, but it's not going to work," he informed the younger man soberly. "Look at it this way: at least now the trial will be over and done with and you won't be bothered by it at a later time."

"I still don't like it," Harry warned him, but didn't resist when Kingsley grabbed his shoulder and Apparated them to the street where the visitor's entrance to the Ministry was: an abandoned telephone booth.

 _And here we are again_ , Harry thought wearily as the booth transported him into the Ministry.

He could only hope that the trial wouldn't last long.

* * *

"You okay?"

The sound of the Floo activating had alerted Harry to the fact that someone was visiting him, so he didn't jump when he heard the voice floating towards him from the entrance of the kitchen. Well, he didn't jump much; he just started a bit, not having expected his visitor to have pinpointed where he was so quickly.

Considering Hermione, Ron and Ginny were in Hogwarts and couldn't Floo over, there were only two other people who could come over unannounced: Andromeda and Draco. Seeing as the voice had been distinctly male …

He turned around with a faint smile after finishing his letter by writing his name on the bottom of the parchment. Ginny had been quite adamant that he needed to let her know when he was out of the hospital and as he didn't fancy having an argument about something as inane as this, he figured that writing the letter first before going over to Andromeda's to pick up Teddy would be a good idea.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he hummed and rolled up the letter.

"Did you just get out of the hospital?" Draco furrowed his eyebrows and trailed closer to the table. Grey eyes briefly flitted over to the bouquet soaking up water in the dark blue coloured vase and the blond man looked pleased for a moment. "It's two o'clock."

"No, I got out of it earlier," Harry sighed and pushed his chair backwards, standing up. He walked over to the bird's perch where a tawny owl regarded him with piercing dark brown eyes. He had purchased the owl a week ago, having realised that keeping in contact with people would be rather difficult if he didn't have an owl of his own.

No owl would ever be able to replace Hedwig, his beautiful snow white owl who had been killed two years ago, and he had purposefully avoided the white coloured owls in the store. Eventually after half an hour of studying each owl, he had chosen a tawny owl, finding its piercing eyes strangely calming.

"Auryon, take this to Ginny," he told the owl and carefully bound the letter to the large owl's paw.

Auryon hooted once and nipped Harry's finger carefully before she jumped on the windowsill, hopped outside and spread her wings, taking off.

"Any reason why you're only just home?" Draco inquired curiously and sank down on another kitchen chair, pulling the newspaper to him. His gaze slid across the couple of articles on the front page.

"Yes, I had to attend the trial of the woman who attacked me," Harry muttered and pursed his lips together.

That attracted Draco's attention immediately. "And? How did that go?" he asked, tense.

"You're not surprised that they had the trial already?" Harry questioned and narrowed his eyes, plopping down in the chair across from Draco.

"You're Harry Potter," Draco replied simply and Harry scowled.

"She got five years in Azkaban," the dark haired man answered, drawing circles on the table with his index finger. "And isn't allowed to get near me for the rest of her life."

"As if she's going to listen to that order," Draco snorted and shook his head; the corners of his mouth pulled down.

"Well, Kingsley told me there's an option of putting a magical restraining spell on her which would prevent her from coming anywhere near me, but I still have time to decide on that," Harry muttered and shrugged. "She's escorted to Azkaban now."

"Good riddance," Draco retorted dismissively and his grey eyes were rather cold.

"What are you actually doing here?" Harry inquired curiously. He stopped drawing circles and leant forwards, bracing his elbows on the table. "Not that I mind," he continued casually, "but you hadn't said anything about coming over today."

Draco shrugged half-heartedly and glanced away. "I felt like a change of scenery was necessary," he answered stiffly and his shoulders were tensed up.

Being cooped up for days on end even in a place as big as Malfoy Manor would wear down on anyone, the dark haired man figured. There were only so many times one could wander through the corridors and various rooms, speaking only to the same people, before it became a bit monotone.

Harry studied him carefully, before he smiled and stretched his arms. "Well, I'm going to see Teddy. You interested in coming with me?"

"I suppose," Draco replied airily, but his eyes were slightly glowing as he followed Harry back to the living room where they would use the Floo to go to Andromeda's home.

Harry hid an amused smile as he took a pinch of Floo powder. Who would have thought he'd become so good at reading Draco's subtle expressions?

* * *

Life went back to normal. Harry divided his time between taking care of Teddy and visiting Malfoy Manor, while having weekly Floo calls with his friends and Ginny.

Now that he had his former mentor back in the form of his portrait, Draco was often found discussing a potion with the older man while Harry sat nearby studying his own books. Their discussions didn't always remain civil – something which had surprised Harry considering Draco had always been Snape's favourite. The blond wizard could get quite passionate if he thought he was right and Harry had already witnessed Snape disappearing out of his portrait five times so far. The dark haired wizard had yet to figure out whether Snape disappeared to give Draco a chance to calm down or simply because the older man couldn't stand someone not agreeing with him and sulked elsewhere.

The second possibility was the most amusing one and it had Harry snickering every time he thought of it.

Snape's suspicious look made Harry wonder whether the man could still use Legilimency and he vowed silently to never look straight into Snape's eyes whenever he thought something less flattering about the man.

Mrs. Malfoy had surprised him by letting an area in the library be fenced off, so that he could practice spells and hexes without hitting anything valuable. The wall and the floor were cushioned with hard, thick mats and a ward surrounded the small area preventing any stray hex from destroying furniture or books. Targets were set up against the wall and stood randomly through the area; with just one flick of his wand Harry would be able to repair the targets so that he could start all over again.

The sight of the area specifically designed to help him practice in the grand library had made him speechless the first time, not having expected it at all.

"Draco has his own room to brew potions in," Mrs. Malfoy said calmly, standing as still as a statue next to him. Her ice blue eyes were focused on him, taking in every miniscule twitch in his face. "Considering you are studying here as well, I decided that you needed a place to practice. Theory won't help you if you have never practiced the spells before."

"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy," Harry stammered, staring wide eyed at the mats and target practices. "You really didn't have to do this."

"Nonsense, Harry," Mrs. Malfoy admonished him and she briefly brushed her hand across his cheek. "I hope it is to your liking. Should you want to change something, you just have to call for a house elf and explain what you need."

He nodded, eyes still glued on the sight in front of him.

She nodded and turned around, her robes rustling softly around her ankles. "Oh, and Harry?"

He looked back at her with curiosity flashing up in his eyes.

She offered a gentle smile. "Please call me Narcissa." And then she was gone; the heavy door of the library closing behind her.

"Charming my mother, huh?" Draco prowled closer with a smirk; his own eyes studying the mats with some interest. "Feel honoured – not many people are able to do that."

"Oh, shut up," Harry grunted and pushed Draco's shoulder before he dropped his bag and grabbed his wand out of his pocket; excitement stirring in his stomach as a grin unfurled on his face.

He couldn't wait to start practicing the spell he had been studying!

* * *

It was as if Cupid had barfed all over the pub. Red garlands with big, fat, pink hearts hung low from the ceilings and around the windows. Lit red and pink roses floated in the air above each table and red hearts were plastered all across the windows. Red table cloths hid the scratched wood from view and each glass had, for some reason, glitter spread around it, clinging to the glass.

The scent of roses was heavy in the air and Harry had to supress the urge to sneeze. He couldn't remember the Three Broomsticks being this bad on Valentine's Day when he had been here with Cho years ago.

Every table was either occupied by couples simpering at each other and staring lovingly in each other's eyes or people who were on their first date. The latter were easily recognised by the heavy blushes dusting their cheeks and the shy, awkward glances they threw at each other.

Luckily for the Hogwarts students, Valentine's Day fell in a weekend, so it was easier for them to go to Hogsmeade to celebrate the holiday.

"It's too bad we can't spend the entire day with each other," Ginny sighed forlornly and trailed her fingers across the rim of her glass.

"I wish we could, but Andromeda isn't feeling well and Teddy has been fussy lately," Harry grimaced. The only reason why he didn't have Teddy with him now was because Andromeda had insisted he went on a date with Ginny. He would pick up Teddy in a few hours.

"Still it's not fair," she pouted and stroked back a piece of her hair behind her ear. She had curled her hair for the occasion and she looked great with it. Her lips were a glossy pink and Harry could still taste the remnants of the strawberry lip gloss on his mouth when she had greeted him with a kiss. It was rather sticky and felt like an unnatural film on his lips. "We already don't see each other a lot, so I had hoped we could have spent more time with each other." Frustration shone clearly in her brown eyes and she leant back in her chair.

Privately Harry agreed with her. Ever since Ginny had returned to Hogwarts and Harry had remained in his own house, they had barely spent any decent time with each other. There had been the holidays of course, but Mrs. Weasley had kept a hawk-like eye on them as if she had expected them to sneak away and hide themselves upstairs in Ginny's room. They hadn't done that, though not for a lack of trying on Ginny's part. Harry, on the other hand, hadn't wanted to disrespect Mrs. Weasley's wishes of no fooling around in her house and had refused Ginny's advances.

She hadn't been quite happy with that, but she had to agree that her mother wouldn't be happy at all if she caught them in her daughter's room.

"Can't you ask my mum whether she wants to babysit Teddy for today?" Ginny perked up, looking hopeful. "I'm sure she won't mind!"

"Teddy's my responsibility, Ginny," Harry sighed and shook his head. "It wouldn't be fair to drop him off at your mother's place. Besides Ron told me that she and your dad are planning on going out for the evening," he added, remembering the small titbit from when he and Ron had Floo called last week. He couldn't even remember how they had landed on that particular topic to be honest.

He was happy for Mrs. and Mister Weasley, though; they hadn't had an easy time mourning the death of Fred, so it would be good for them to have a night out.

"Isn't there someone else you can ask?" Ginny wheedled, biting on her lower lip.

"No; Teddy is already fussy enough – I don't want to imagine how bad he'll get with someone who isn't Andromeda or me," Harry muttered, pursing his lips together.

At that moment he became keenly aware of the fact that he and Ginny had started living different lives. While Ginny's biggest worries at the moment were her homework and training the Quidditch team, Harry was essentially already living the life of an adult. He didn't have to work – his inheritance from both his parents and Sirius ensured that he wouldn't have to worry about money for a long time – but he did take care of his household and was practically raising Teddy on his own. Teddy still had his grandmother and she didn't mind at all taking care of him, but she was getting older and she still was struggling with her grief over her daughter's death.

She hadn't mentioned it at all, but Harry could see it in her eyes when she looked at Teddy sometimes that the little boy reminded her too much of her daughter; especially when he changed his hair or eye colour. Wanting to spare her a bit, Harry had decided to raise Teddy mostly on his own. He wanted to give Teddy the love he himself had had to miss for several years when he grew up. Teddy was an orphan like him, but Harry was determined to make certain that Teddy would grow up only knowing he was loved. To never have a day in his life where he had to wonder whether the people who took care of him considered him to be nothing but a burden. To have a life Harry wished he had had with Sirius.

With Ginny being away at school and Harry spending most of his days taking care of Teddy and hanging out with Draco, they didn't have many things in common anymore. While Harry could commiserate about the annoyance that was homework, Ginny couldn't really sympathise with him about taking care of an infant, the exhaustion when Teddy was up all night crying his lungs out, the many nights spent hushing Teddy and walking around the entire house with him, trying to get him to go back to sleep.

That wasn't Ginny's fault and he didn't resent her for having chosen to return to Hogwarts, but it did cause some kind of rift between them even if they didn't acknowledge it aloud. They were slowly growing apart and it made Harry wonder whether they would manage to close the distance. It was a sobering thought to have.

"How about - " Ginny's question was cut off when the curly haired brunette who was one of the new bartenders in the pub appeared next to their table with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, but a message for Mr. Potter arrived," she explained and handed over an envelope before rushing back to the bar to pour more drinks.

"Who wrote to you?" Ginny asked curiously, cocking her head to the side.

Harry didn't even need to read the sender's name on the back of the envelope to know who had written to him now. He had seen that handwriting on notes spread out over the table and in little messages attached to flower bouquets. Eyebrows furrowing, he slid open the envelope and retrieved the folded letter from it. The message was short, but had Harry's heart skipping a beat.

' _Harry,_

_Sorry for disturbing you, but I don't know how else to contact you. I can't help take care of Teddy today. Mother was attacked when we were out in London today and she's in Saint Mungos now. I'm with her._

_The Aurors have yet to visit us, so I presume we'll be here for a while. Just thought I'd let you know._

_Draco'_

The writing was shaky in some places, betraying the turmoil that had to have gone through Draco when he wrote the letter. The parchment was darkened at some places as if something had spilt some drops on it. Harry had a pretty good guess as to what kind of liquid could have been spilt on the parchment.

His first reaction to the letter was anger, flaring up like a huge, uncontrollable fire licking at everything it found in its path. Nearly a year after the war and people were still mindlessly attacking each other, as if they hadn't learnt anything from the time when Voldemort had been in power. What did they hope to accomplish with attacking others? Revenge? Satisfaction? For what? Whatever they lost, nothing they would do would bring that back. Attacking other people wouldn't bring back the dead. It wouldn't make grieving lost ones easier.

As far as Harry was aware, Narcissa hadn't even ever attacked anyone. Her only crime had been not to have been able to stop Lucius from following Voldemort. He didn't know who had attacked her, but he had a gut feeling that it hadn't been some random attack. They had targeted her because of who she was and that made them no better than the Death Eaters had been.

One detail in the letter had him gritting his teeth, anger brimming closely underneath his skin. The Aurors still hadn't visited Narcissa. Harry had barely been able to take a step forwards in the hospital without being shadowed by an Auror after he had been attacked – but then that had been because he was a war hero, wasn't it? They wouldn't offer the same service to someone who was married to a Death Eater.

The war might be over, but petty people still existed.

"Harry?" Ginny frowned, tapping his wrist gently. "Is everything all right?"

He looked away from the letter to her and stared, abruptly making a decision. There was no way he could remain in this pub with the cheery music and the romantic atmosphere when Draco was out there, clearly feeling lost. Harry didn't know how badly hurt Narcissa was, but Draco was still there on his own, without his father's support. The older blond still couldn't leave the manor for more than a year and considering how low the Malfoys had fallen on the social ladder, there was no one else who could support Draco and Narcissa in the hospital.

Nobody but Harry that was. Andromeda might have gone to the hospital if she had received the request, but she and her sister were still on shaky ground after years of not talking to each other. If they had wanted to see her, Draco would have sent the letter to her. That he hadn't but instead had chosen to write to Harry …

He wasn't about to let down his friend when he clearly needed him.

"Sorry, Ginny, but I have to go," Harry said grimly and shoved his chair backwards, stuffing the letter in his pocket. "Narcissa is in the hospital; I'm going there now. I'll make it up to you later!" He pressed a quick kiss on her mouth and ignoring her protest, swiftly left the pub and hurried to the Apparition point.

Perhaps it was time to check just how much influence he actually had, he mused darkly and Apparated away.

* * *

The look of pure relief on Draco's face and the tight hug he received from the other wizard when he arrived in Narcissa's room was enough to settle the guilt a bit that had risen up at the look of betrayal Ginny had given him when he left the pub. He would make it up to her later; first he would see to it that Narcissa received the care she deserved.

The look of wonder and gratitude in blue eyes – however quickly it had disappeared – was enough to strengthen that resolve and he smiled back at Narcissa as he set about sending a Patronus to Kingsley, explaining the situation and requesting an Auror to be send to the hospital to take their testimonies.

He deeply disliked using his fame, preferring not to think about it at all, but if his fame could help two people he had come to care a lot about … Well, he had done much harder things.

* * *

The wizard who had attacked Narcissa – someone who she couldn't recall ever having met before – had disappeared into the masses before anyone could stop him. Harry suspected nobody had actually done much effort to stop the man once it was clear who he had attacked. Narcissa had her right arm broken in several places and blistering burns on her left hand that would take a few days to heal. The shield she had called up had been enough to protect her from worse, but that didn't take away the fact that someone had cursed her without any reason.

Two Aurors had been put on the case – two women Kingsley assured weren't prejudiced at all and had a good success rate of solving cases – but given the fact that nobody wanted to come forth with information about the wizard, the case dragged on.

Harry had already declared he would accompany Narcissa and Draco whenever they would go outside, certain that people would hesitate at least before even attempting to curse either one of them. Narcissa had refused at first – Draco had been more expressive in his distaste of being escorted, nearly hissing like a cat – but Harry had remained stubborn and in the end, both blonds had given in, having realised there was no way they could change Harry's mind.

It wouldn't be for the rest of their lives, Harry had reassured them, only until the war was further behind them and people would be less likely to lash out.

Lucius had been there during the argument and had remained quiet, but Harry had caught his appraising look when the dark haired man had won the discussion and it made the younger wizard wonder whether Lucius was changing his opinion about him.

Not that it mattered to Harry if Lucius did change his mind. Whether or not the older blond approved of his decision was not something Harry cared about. He did it to keep Narcissa and Draco safe, not because he wanted Lucius' approval.

* * *

A month after Valentine's day which had ended on a sour note for the both of them, Harry and Ginny broke up. Ever since that day the distance between the two of them had grown wider; Ginny, too pissed off at the way Harry had ended their date to help Narcissa and Draco, had brushed off any attempt Harry made to make it up to her. Having become annoyed by her stubborn refusal, Harry had ceased trying to make amends and the few Floo calls between them had been stilted and rather cooled.

So really, Harry wasn't that surprised that they had broken up. It had been a long time coming, he begrudgingly realised; they were practically living in two different worlds now. He suspected him refusing to stop hanging out with Draco also had played a part in it.

Or it could have been the fact that Ginny had been caught snogging Dean Thomas in what they had thought to be an abandoned corridor. A younger student, however, had stumbled upon them and following Collin Creevey's footsteps had taken a picture of them before rushing off, knowing he had struck gold by catching Harry Potter's girlfriend cheating on him.

In no time the picture had been splashed on the front page of every newspaper and magazine and only the heavy wards around Harry's home kept the paparazzi from being plastered against his windows and door, demanding his reaction to it.

Even if he had felt obliged to answer them – which he most certainly didn't – his answer would most likely disappoint them. He wasn't as furious as they expected him to be. He wasn't even angry – something which had surprised Hermione and Ron when they Floo called him this morning and had shocked Ginny when she Floo called him an hour ago, face reddened with shame, but at the same time stubbornness glinting in her eyes.

He felt rather calm about it actually. Quite annoyed that she had chosen to cheat on him instead of simply breaking it off first, but he didn't feel as hurt as he thought he would have been and that actually surprised him. Maybe they had drifted further apart than he had realised.

"Guess she can no longer be annoyed by my hanging out with Draco, right?" Harry asked Teddy and the nearly one year old blinked before grinning and swinging his arms up and down.

"Da!" he cried out and his eyes switched from dark blue to light green. He bashed one of his toy blocks on the plush carpet and grinned mischievously at Harry who was sitting nearby, keeping an eye on the excited toddler. Teddy had given up on walking throughout the living room – well, more like waddling since he was still learning it – but Harry knew from experience that if he didn't keep his eyes on his godson at all times, the little boy was likely to move away from the carpet and explore the rest of the room.

Harry didn't mind him exploring the room – that was what all children did after all – but he preferred being around Teddy when he did that so he couldn't hurt himself.

The fire behind him rustled loudly, the red golden colour turning a dark green before soft footsteps approached him.

"You want to talk about it?" Draco asked and sank down next to him on the floor. He was wearing a blue sweater and a pair of dark trousers and he smiled when Teddy whipped his head around and cried out a babbled greeting, stretching out his arms.

Draco obliged the silent demand and picked Teddy off the floor, setting him on his lap.

"Da!" Teddy grinned brightly and burrowed his face in Draco's shoulder, rubbing his face back and forth as he muttered something incomprehensibly.

Harry shrugged. "Not much to talk about," he retorted calmly and a blond eyebrow was quirked sceptically. Harry smiled and shook his head. "I'm serious, Draco. Sure I'm irritated that she couldn't break up with me before kissing Dean, but what's done is done."

"You sound way too calm for someone whose ex-girlfriend cheated on him," Draco remarked suspiciously and narrowed his eyes, absentmindedly removing Teddy's hand from where it had started to grab a lock of blond hair.

Teddy scowled before he got distracted by the soft sweater and cooed at it, patting the cloth experimentally.

"I guess," Harry chuckled and leant back on his hands, amusement filling him at the way Draco stoically ignored Teddy patting his chest. "But well … We were drifting apart before that. I suppose we just weren't meant to be." He sighed. He grabbed one of the toy blocks and gazed at it contemplatively. "I'm not really in the mood to discuss it. Are you staying for dinner?"

Draco nodded and that was that. No more interrogation, no more worried looks. Just them entertaining Teddy.

It was nice.

* * *

It arrived right before he went to bed. Teddy had fallen asleep a few hours ago, right after dinner, and was currently sleeping peacefully in his room next to Harry's bedroom.

Harry had just thrown the covers back in his bed – it might be March but that didn't mean the nights had become warmer – when a tapping sound on the window caused him to pause and he slowly turned around.

A rusty brown owl stared solemnly back; his form outlined against the moon.

"Seriously?" Harry murmured, but he couldn't supress a smile of delight when he crossed the room and opened the window, stepping aside to let the owl fly inside.

The owl landed on the chair Harry used to place his clothes on and promptly stuck out his leg, offering the small, white box. As soon as he had removed the box, the owl spread his wings and sailed out of the window, leaving as silently as he had arrived.

A quick snap of his wand had the window closed again and he turned his attention back to the box, wondering what kind of flowers Draco had sent him this time.

The box was enlarged, the lid popped off and the sides lowered down and Harry blinked, taken slightly aback by the content. Thin twigs with small, blue flowers greeted him first, bound together in a small bundle. Veronicas they were called; he only knew this because Aunt Petunia had once used them to decorate a three tiered cake when they had guests from Uncle Vernon's work.

The veronicas had been put into a small, crystal vase, soaking up the water. Around the vase was a garland created of blue violets; their colour even more vivid and brighter than that of the veronicas. When the moonlight fell on the bouquet, the flowers seemed to glow ethereally.

Harry stared at the flowers for a long time, before in a sudden impulse, he pulled open the top drawer of his nightstand and unearthed the book containing the meanings of every flower which he had purchased two weeks ago.

He hadn't taken a look at it yet, having been distracted by Narcissa's ongoing case and taking care of Teddy, but now was a good time as any to look up the meanings of these specific flowers. Especially considering Draco had sent them on the same day he had broken up with Ginny. They had to have a special meaning, right? It wasn't like Draco to send flowers randomly.

"Veronica, veronica," Harry muttered, leaving rapidly through the book until he landed in the V section. He skipped several pages before finding the one marked " _Veronica_ ".

The page contained a description of the flower, the Latin name, where it grew and when, what it could be used for … and finally the meaning itself.

_Fidelity._

"What?" he asked confused, staring at the word. Why would Draco send a flower with that meaning?

Bemused he flipped more pages until he found the page labelled " _Violet_ ". He dismissed the general information, it not being what he was looking for, and found the meaning listed in a small column, organised by which colour the particular violet had.

Blue violets meant … _faithfulness_.

His confusion only grew and he closed the book, staring contemplatively at the flowers. Why would Draco give him flowers that meant fidelity and faithfulness? What did he mean with that? The faithfulness could be explained that he wouldn't betray Harry; maybe it was even a dig towards Ginny because she had cheated on Harry and therefore hadn't been faithful.

But fidelity? Wasn't fidelity usually connected to being in a relationship? Was he looking too deep into this? Maybe that was just another dig towards Ginny; Draco hadn't lost his vindictive streak merely because he was friends with Harry now after all.

So perhaps both flowers were simply meant as a jab towards Ginny. It could be that Draco just wanted to let him know he deserved to be with someone who was faithful and who wouldn't cheat on him.

_Or maybe …_

Harry stared at the flowers; his mind whirling with the various possibilities.

Sleep was a long time coming that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: This writing a story without much angst thingie is still too weird to describe in words. It's like swimming against the current O_O I don't know what the hell I'm doing with this story XD
> 
> Nevertheless I hope this chapter wasn't too bad ^^; Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me!
> 
> Next flowers are: bright pink rose and pink camellia - and I just realised the chapter will be posted on Valentine's Day. What a coincidence!
> 
> See you all in the next chapter!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	5. Bright Pink Rose and Pink Camellia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: I think this is the chapter that I genuinely worry that I'm hurrying things. That isn't my intention at all, so I hope it doesn't come across like that. Actually this chapter was quite difficult to write compared to the previous four, so that's why this is so late.
> 
> It's not exactly Valentine themed, but well, I guess the flowers do sort of have that theme attached to them.
> 
> Thank you for the comments and the kudos! (Nearly 200 already? EEK! O_O)
> 
> Warnings: eh not sure actually; confused Harry mainly
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling owns it.
> 
> I hope you'll like it!

_Chapter 5 Bright Pink Rose and Pink Camellia_

"Are you sure you don't want to talk to her?" Mrs. Weasley looked at him worriedly; her ginger coloured hair mixed with silver blending in with the flames. "Maybe you two can talk it out?"

Harry shook his head and gave the older woman a wry smile. "No, I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley, but we've said what we wanted to say yesterday when she Floo called me. She and I – I don't think we ever were a good fit for each other. I'm sure she'll be happy with Dean."

She pursed her lips together and sighed. "If you're sure." A hint of disappointment coloured her voice.

"I'm sure," he replied steadfastly. It was over between him and Ginny. He had started contemplating weeks before yesterday whether they really had a future together; Ginny cheating on him with Dean had just been the final confirmation that they wouldn't work out.

"Just know that I still consider you as one of my own sons," Mrs. Weasley told him solemnly. "You're always welcome at our house. Don't stay away because of Ginny, please."

"I won't," he promised and they exchanged some small talk before she had to leave and they shut down the Floo between them.

Harry sighed and rolled his shoulders, rising up from his knelt position with a soft groan. He turned his head and looked at Teddy, who was immersed in building a tower with his plastic blocks. The little boy was still dressed in his bright green onesie, the Floo call having interrupted Harry from changing Teddy's clothes. He had placed Teddy next to him on the carpet, a bit further away from the fireplace and had given the blocks to him to keep him occupied.

"Other people seem more distressed that Ginny and I broke up than I am," Harry told his godson and the eleven month old toddler looked up curiously. "Silly reaction of them, right?"

He was rewarded with a bright grin and Teddy babbling, "Da-da!"

Andromeda and Narcissa were both convinced that those syllables were Teddy's attempt to call Harry 'dad', but the younger man had pointed out that Teddy's blocks and even the cats in the street received the same name. Or at least something that sounded suspiciously close to 'da-da'.

He took Teddy's answer as agreement and smiled. "Knew you'd agree with me," he said and bent down to pick Teddy up. "Now let's get you out of our pyjamas, okay? You have to look nice for your grandmother."

Teddy squealed and his hair changed into a bright blue as he wrapped his small, chubby arms around Harry's neck.

The dark haired man brushed a kiss across Teddy's forehead and made his way to his godson's bedroom.

He paused momentarily in front of his bedroom when he caught sight of the flowers Draco had sent him yesterday and released his breath slowly before continuing his way to Teddy's room.

He would think about the flowers and Draco's intention with them later. First they needed to visit Andromeda.

* * *

"And who is my beautiful boy?" Andromeda cooed and raised Teddy in the air, rubbing her nose against his tummy.

The little boy shrieked with laughter and waved his arms up and down, kicking with his legs.

"Yes, you are!" She dropped several kisses on his forehead and cheeks, deftly avoiding his flailing limbs.

Harry grinned, thoroughly amused as he watched the regal looking woman make silly faces at her grandson. When he first met her, he had got the impression that she was rather stoic and stern, even aloof. However, once he started spending more time around her and got to know her better, he realised that the stoicism and aloofness were only a mask, cultivated by being brought up by the Blacks.

Having entered her circle of trust, he was one of the few around whom she let down her guard and he was allowed to witness her acting silly towards her grandson.

She placed Teddy on her lap, resting his back against her stomach and waved her wand in the direction of the kitchen. A few seconds later, a small plate with banana slices floated to them and landed on the coffee table in front of her.

"Does my sweetheart want some banana slices?" Andromeda murmured smiling and held a small piece of banana in front of Teddy.

"Ba-ba-ba," Teddy chattered and reached out with his hands, grabbing at the slice. He snatched it out of her hand and promptly stuck it in his mouth, sucking on it.

"Seems like he isn't bothered anymore by his new tooth," Andromeda remarked, keeping an eye on the little boy in her lap so that he wouldn't choke on the fruit pieces.

"No, it finally grew in fully a few days ago," Harry informed her and leant back into the comfortable couch; his cup of tea resting on his thigh with his hand wrapped around it.

"Now you don't have any pain anymore, right, Teddy?" she cooed and smiled when Teddy grinned back; his mouth covered with smashed bits of banana. Dark eyes fell on Harry and he automatically sat up straighter.

"What?" he questioned curiously and put his half empty cup back on the table.

"You're okay?" she asked, feeding Teddy another piece.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" He shrugged, smiling back at Teddy when light green eyes flashed to him.

The small boy wiggled around on Andromeda's lap and held out a half-eaten, half smashed piece of banana to him. "Da, da," he said solemnly and waved his hand up and down impatiently.

"Aw, is that for me? Can I eat some banana too?" Harry grinned and stretched out his hand.

As soon as his godfather's hand was underneath his, Teddy opened his fist and let the banana drop in Harry's hand. He kept his gaze trained on the dark haired man until Harry pretended to eat the mashed bit, secretly letting it disappear with a flick of his wand.

"Yummy, right, Teddy?"

As soon as Teddy was certain that his godfather had eaten the banana, he turned back to the plate, reaching at it while smacking his other hand on his grandmother's thigh.

She fed him another piece and continued their conversation as if it hadn't been interrupted, "It's been in every newspaper and magazine." Her tone was idle, unconcerned, but her eyes were sharp.

A sigh escaped him; even here it seemed he couldn't escape it. "I know, but honestly, Andromeda, I'm fine. We've been growing apart for a while now. Even if she hadn't kissed Dean, we would have broken up eventually."

"You don't appear too bothered with it," she remarked; a slight frown creasing her forehead.

He shrugged. "Like I said: we weren't really that close anymore. It had become a matter of when, not if."

She clucked her tongue and uncovered a handkerchief from somewhere. She started cleaning Teddy's sticky hands and mouth, not perturbed in the slightest that the boy was trying his hardest to escape having his face cleaned. "If you want to talk, I'm here."

"I know," Harry smiled, warmed by her offer. His gaze fell on a vase near the window where a couple of white roses were soaking up the weak March sunlight and he blinked. "When you buy flowers – do you think about their meanings?"

Andromeda looked at him surprised before following his gaze. She shrugged. "Sometimes, for a special occasion; sure. But I've never been that great at knowing the meanings of flowers. My sister, Narcissa, on the other hand knows a lot about flower language. She probably even taught Draco about it, knowing her. Why?"

"No reason," he murmured, but the older woman's answer had given him something to think about.

Now he was completely certain: the meanings of the flowers Draco had sent him weren't accidental at all.

The question was: what was Draco trying to tell him?

* * *

On Sunday afternoon Harry gathered his book with the meanings of the flowers and every flower he had received so far and brought them to the living room. Teddy was taking a nap in his playpen, having exhausted himself and Harry decided to take advantage of the free time he had now. In two hours Teddy would wake up for his afternoon snack and then he wouldn't have time for a while to research the flowers.

Quietly he placed down the flowers and the book on the table and took a seat, a cup with mint tea next to him. He studied the flowers carefully; one hand rubbing absentmindedly over his right cheek.

Only the violets and the veronicas were still fresh, of course. The other flowers were too old to remain fresh, even with preservation charms, but acting on an impulse, Harry had cast a charm on them that would dry them and keep them looking like they had been when they had just been delivered to him.

He shifted the flowers around, putting them in the order he had received them while being mindful of the nearly one year old sleeping a few feet away from him. He started on the left, placing the purple hyacinths and the white campanulas first. Then the snowdrops followed and after them, the purple lilacs and the single peony he had received when he had been hospitalised. Closing the row were the violets and the veronicas; their perfume curling into his nostrils as he moved them.

Seven types of flowers so far. Seven possible different meanings.

"Now, let's find out what you've been trying to tell me, hm?" he whispered and narrowed his eyes. Pointing his wand at the small cabinet he used to store random objects in, he murmured, "Accio quill and parchment!"

The top drawer opened and a quill and several sheets of parchment flew out and dropped down in front of him on the table. Another flick of his wand and an inkwell joined the rest.

He dipped the tip of the quill in the inkwell – making a mental note to buy more ink soon – and started writing on the parchment.

_Violet: faithfulness_

_Veronica: fidelity_

Those were the two meanings he knew already and he stared at them with a frown. Even written down, the meanings didn't really make much sense. On an impulse, he added, _Sent the day after Ginny was caught cheating._

Tilting his head slightly, he studied the words and shook his head with a sigh when his mind remained blank.

Perhaps he would understand them if he combined them with the other meanings. It was worth a try. If nothing else, he could still bug Draco about it, until the man gave in and told him.

He decided to start from the beginning and looked up the meaning of the purple hyacinths first. That one was rather straightforward when he combined it with the possible reason. Purple hyacinth meant ' _I am sorry_ '. Draco had sent him those after the Malfoy trial had ended and when Harry flipped open the card that had been included, it didn't take him long to deduce why Draco had sent those.

He had apologised for all his wrongdoings in the past, so the purple hyacinths probably referred to that line in the card. The white campanulas which had been sent together with the hyacinths expressed gratitude. That one wasn't hard to figure out and he didn't even need the message in the card to make the link. With the campanulas Draco had thanked him for his help during his trial.

He clucked his tongue and smiled wryly; he probably should have realised those meanings before. In his defence, though, he hadn't expected to get flowers at all, much less that they would have a specific meaning attached to them. He had been under the assumption that Draco had sent the flowers randomly, as a thank you. Sort of like when Harry had bought a couple of sunflowers with some money he had found on the street, giving the flowers to the only teacher in primary school who had been nice to him. He hadn't thought of the meaning at all; they had just caught his eye when he walked past them on his way to school and he had bought them because they were pretty.

But he probably should have expected that there was a deeper meaning to the flowers Draco had sent him – the blond had never done things randomly after all.

The next flower he researched was the snowdrop, which had been delivered after Harry had made it clear he considered them to be friends.

"Huh," he muttered, supporting his head with his hand as he attentively read the text. Snowdrops stood for hope apparently.

Knitting his eyebrows together, he stared bemused at the snowdrops. Why would Draco want to express hope? He picked up the card that had accompanied the flowers and read it again.

' _Thank you for giving me a second chance.'_

Tapping the card against his lower lip, he gazed at the flowers, trying to figure out what hope had to do with the message. A flower expressing gratitude – like the white campanula – would have fitted better if one took into account the message Draco had sent him.

Yet the blond wizard had chosen snowdrops on purpose, so he had meant to express hope. Perhaps Harry wasn't supposed to link the message to the meaning in this case? The snowdrops might represent hope in an abstract manner, which in this case meant …

He hesitated and pursed his lips thoughtfully. Dropping the card back on the table, he idly tapped his quill against the parchment, uncaring about the little spatters of ink covering the sheet. It wasn't like he would have to hand in the paper, so what would some spilled ink matter?

Hope as an abstract concept …

"So just hope for our friendship then?" Harry muttered to himself and scratched the back of his head. An exasperated sigh left him. "Why not just be more straightforward with it and say what the flowers mean?"

Rolling his eyes, he decided that he would leave the snowdrops alone for now. He knew the meaning now, so that would have to do for the moment.

The third bouquet had been handed to him when he was at the hospital. Draco had already explained the meaning of the peony: healing. Easy, because he had landed in the hospital. So the only flower left of which he didn't know the meaning yet were the purple lilacs which had accompanied the peony.

If he knew the meaning of those, then maybe this entire thing would start making sense finally. At least he hoped it would start making sense, because while the first few flowers had been pretty straightforward, the last ones weren't at all.

"Lilac, lilac, lilac," he mumbled, flipping the pages quickly until he landed in the L section. He paused and held his breath when Teddy murmured something, smacking his lips, but the boy didn't wake up and merely wiggled around a bit in his sleep.

He turned a few more pages until he found the page dedicated to the lilac and started reading; his finger following the lines he read.

_The lilac represents different emotions depending on the colour it has. Blue lilacs represent happiness and tranquillity for example. White lilacs, on the other hand, stand for purity and innocence, which are common meanings to be linked with the colour white._

_Purple lilacs – often a light shade of purple – can be offered if the sender wants to symbolise his or her feelings of love for the other person. Related to that, pink lilacs mean …_

He stopped reading, his heart skipping a beat, and froze. Slowly his gaze slid from the paper to the purple lilacs resting innocently in front of him.

_Feelings of love._

As in – he swallowed, feeling inexplicably warm all of a sudden – as in romantic love? Did Draco intend to mean that with those flowers? Was he saying that he was … in love with Harry?

Suddenly the violets and the veronicas made a lot more sense. If Draco really was in love with him – and it was such a strange idea that he could barely contemplate it for more than a few seconds – then the whole fidelity and faithfulness hadn't been meant as a jab towards Ginny. No, instead of making fun of Ginny, Draco had actually been saying that he would never betray Harry like Ginny had done. That he would remain faithful to the dark haired man unlike Ginny.

That was if he really was in love with Harry. But he couldn't be, right? Why would he be in love with him of all people?

Harry had never really paid much attention to how other people looked like, bar the occasional thought that a particular girl was pretty or some guy looked good. He could admit, though, that Draco was handsome, quite good-looking, especially now that he had stopped slicking back his hair and just let it frame his face. His face didn't look so pointy anymore, having grown in it, and Harry had heard girls whisper about Draco's sharp cheekbones and piercing grey eyes before in the hallways of Hogwarts, before the war had started. His body was toned thanks to years of playing Quidditch and he moved with a certain grace that Harry had always lacked.

So yeah, Draco was good-looking, no doubt about that. He was smart, one of the very few who had been close to beating Hermione in getting top marks every year, and had a sharp sense of humour that Harry could appreciate now that it was no longer intended to really piss him off. Really, Draco could have anyone he wanted. Even now, with the Malfoys' reputation ruined, there were still girls in the streets and shops who couldn't take their eyes off the blond. They might not want to approach him, but that didn't stop them from being interested.

So with Draco able to get anyone he wanted, why on earth would he want Harry? The green eyed man knew he wasn't ugly, but he wasn't anything remarkable either. His hair resembled a bird's nest no matter what he tried, be it comb or charm. While he had managed to put on some weight, he would always remain slender and slightly shorter than most men his age due to the lack of decent food when he was younger. His knees were knobby and his arms and chest were littered with fine scars from battles. His most redeeming feature was his eyes and those were hidden behind his glasses. He had a knack of landing into trouble, even if he wasn't actively seeking it out. In short, while not ugly, he wasn't exactly at Draco's level either.

So it didn't make any sense for the blond to like him in that manner. Why would he when he could get anyone he wanted?

Yet he had sent those flowers and hadn't tried to lie when Harry had asked about the meaning. Had even encouraged the younger man to look up the meaning, so he had to be aware of what the lilacs represented.

"Why am I worrying about this?" Harry muttered, staring perplexed at the flowers. Even if Draco was really in love with him, what did it matter?

It wasn't like Harry was interested in guys.

That was what he thought at least, but the longer he stared at the flowers and thought about Draco, the more jumbled his thoughts became until he dropped his head on the table with a groan of misery.

Why couldn't his life ever be easy?

* * *

Hogwarts had taught him a lot of things. That real friends could be made at any age. That there were people who cared about him. That he wasn't a freak as Uncle Vernon had loved to call him, but simply someone who could use magic. Hogwarts had taught him how to use his magic, how to defend himself and others.

What it hadn't taught him and really should have was how to deal with it when you weren't sure anymore who you actually liked.

It had been a couple of days since Harry had figured out the meanings of the flowers and all he could think about was the fact that Draco was in love with him. Which then led to him wondering how he felt about that and driving himself insane when he couldn't find an answer.

Deciding how he felt about that shouldn't be that difficult, right? The only two people he had liked before had been girls, so it stood to reason that he was only interested in girls.

If it was that easy, though, why couldn't he stop thinking about the blond man? Why did he feel so confused and conflicted? If he really only liked girls, then why wasn't he disgusted or uncomfortable with the fact that Draco was essentially courting him with these flowers?

_Courting him._

He clamped his lips shut to prevent a hysterical chuckle from escaping. _Oh Merlin, Draco was courting him!_

How had this become his life?

"Harry, are you okay?" Hermione's worried voice broke through his thoughts and he blinked, shaking his head.

"Yeah, I'm fine, sorry," he smiled weakly. "Just a bit distracted, don't worry."

"Distracted? How come?" she asked sharply and concern flashed up in her eyes.

Too late he realised that given how their lives had been until now, him being distracted might equal danger in Hermione's mind and he hastened to reassure her, "I was just thinking that it's time I started planning Teddy's birthday party."

Her face instantly cleared up; the traces of worry disappearing like smoke. "That's right! He'll turn one year old on the sixth of April, right?" she smiled.

"Yeah, so it's time I start planning it. It won't be too long anymore and it's his first birthday, so it's a very important one after all," he chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. He stilled when the baby monitor started to glow and a few seconds later a soft whine came through. Teddy was awake. "Sorry, 'Mione, but Teddy just woke up and if I don't get him now, he's going to start screaming."

"I get it, don't worry. I have class soon anyway," she smiled. "I'll talk to you later, Harry!"

"We will," Harry grinned and then closed off the Floo before hurrying upstairs, where Teddy was standing up in his bed; his small fists clenched around two of the bars that kept him from rolling out of bed.

"Hey there, my little man," he said softly and picked Teddy up, settling him with his head against his shoulder. "Did you have a good nap?"

"Ma, mm," Teddy muttered incomprehensibly and yawned, blinking sleepily up at his godfather.

"Do you want your snack before you play?" Harry hummed and slowly made his way downstairs again, continuing his trek to the kitchen.

"Hah! Dada!" Teddy replied, excitement swiftly replacing drowsiness as he clapped his hands gleefully.

"Thought so," Harry chuckled and used his wand to cut a banana in small, bitesize pieces.

As Teddy attacked the banana pieces with gusto, seated in his high chair, Harry sat down next to him and released a soft sigh when his thoughts unwillingly went back to Draco.

So … what should he do now?

* * *

"You're inviting me and mother?" Draco repeated surprised; his quill hovering above his parchment.

"Why are you so shocked? You're practically helping me raise him," Harry chuckled, browsing through his book about defence spells. This book handled the more complicated defence magic and he was trying to get the hang of one in particular, which would return any magic cast on it tenfold.

"Yes, but – I thought you'd want to keep it to close family," Draco said stiffly and his shoulders were hunched, grey eyes looking anywhere but Harry, when the dark haired man glanced briefly at him.

"You are family," Harry replied softly and hesitated. He lowered his wand and turned around, continuing, "I mean, he's literally blood related and you're even closer family than I am. Never mind those semantics, why wouldn't I invite you and your mum? He likes you two and Andromeda told me your mum and her are on better terms now. Unless you don't want to come?"

Draco looked almost offended at that question. "Of course we want to come!" he answered sharply and huffed. "Don't be daft, Potter."

Harry grinned, amused at how easily Draco had included his mother in the decision, before he wavered for a bit, not certain whether he should say the next part.

Ah, fuck it. In for a penny, in for a pound as they said.

"And I'd like you to be there," he murmured, becoming fascinating with a loose thread on the bottom of his shirt.

"Really?" There was an odd, underlying current in the blond's voice and when Harry chanced a look at him, he was struck speechless by the unexpected intensity in those grey eyes.

They pierced into his own and for a moment they were suspended in time and Harry scarcely dared to breathe as those silver grey orbs seemed to gaze straight into his core.

Then that silver gaze pulled away, breaking the tension, and Harry sucked in a large breath; his legs feeling odd, like they were made of rubber.

"Yeah, really," he said and cleared his throat, spinning hastily around, back to the book lying on a stand next to him; his heart thundering so loud it surprised him that the other man couldn't hear it.

"I'm glad to hear that," Draco murmured and then silence descended over them, only broken by the sound of pages turning and quills scratching on parchment.

Blankly Harry stared at the page in front of him, not taking in any of the words written down there. His heart had finally stopped beating fast like he had just finished a race, but he still felt inexplicably warm and he was hyper aware of the distance between him and the other wizard. Aware of the calm breathing and the soft click of his tongue whenever the blond wizard couldn't immediately find something in his book. Conscious of the fact that there were only a few feet separating them.

His skin prickled uncomfortably and his fingers clenched around the corner of the page.

As the faint sound of birds chirping near a window of the library reached his ears, he silently wondered what the fuck just had happened.

Naturally there was no reply.

_Damn it._

* * *

"You're lucky that Ron got dragged away to play some Quidditch with Seamus and Dean," Hermione sighed as she plopped down on the chair across from him. She smiled when her gaze fell on the cooled glass of Butterbeer waiting for her. "Thanks. So what's so urgent that you couldn't wait until the holidays started to talk about it? Or that you couldn't talk about through the Floo?" She raised an eyebrow, dropping her heavy bag next to her on the floor.

It being in the middle of the week, there were no Hogwarts students present in Hogsmeade. Only the ones repeating their year – or doing an eight year like Ron had jokingly said a couple of months ago – were allowed to visit Hogsmeade during the week, provided that they behaved themselves.

This was where Harry and Hermione currently were: sitting at a small table in the Three Broomsticks after he had asked her to meet him alone. Teddy sat on his lap, browsing through a children's book and pointing at the colourful drawings inside.

"Moo!" Teddy giggled and pointed at the picture of a cow grazing some grass.

"Yeah, that's a happy cow, right, Teddy?" Harry hummed and his godson smacked the book happily. It was a good thing he was holding on to the book firmly, otherwise it would have been smacked straight to the ground.

Hermione chuckled amused and that sound attracted the toddler's attention. He looked up and offered a big grin. "Ha!" He waved his hand furiously up and down and squealed in delight when she waved back. His attention went back to the small book when Harry turned the page. "Woo!" he muttered and petted the picture of the brown, longhaired dog.

"So what do you want to talk about?" Hermione asked curiously and sipped from her Butterbeer.

Harry pursed his lips and answered slowly, "There's … an issue I've been trying to figure out and – I guess I just need another perspective on it."

She raised an eyebrow. "That sounds serious," she murmured and tapped her nails against her glass. "What's the issue about?"

"I …" Harry faltered, not certain how to continue. How could he explain that he had started questioning whether he really only liked girls? That when he thought about Draco, his stomach did some funny flips and he felt way too hot?

How was he supposed to explain that he enjoyed Draco's company way too much for simply being friends? That the way he felt around Draco was entirely different from how he felt around Ron and Hermione and that he only had just realised that fact a few days ago? That he found himself coming up with any excuse to be with the blond, even when it was just to study while he had never really felt that urge with Ginny?

How was he supposed to tell his best friend that he thought he wasn't as straight as he previously had assumed?

That he even might be …

"There's – someone I like," he started slowly and absently flipped the page in the book when Teddy looked up imploringly.

"Oh?" Hermione looked surprised and delighted at the same time. "That's great! I didn't think you'd like someone so soon after Ginny, but I'm happy for you!"

"Yeah well, I might have started liking that person when I was still with Ginny, but I didn't realise it at that time," he admitted embarrassed and felt himself flush.

_And I didn't realise I actually liked him like that until I started thinking about it. Because I'm that much of an oblivious idiot apparently._

"Well, that happens sometimes," she said thoughtfully and shrugged. "So what's the issue? Are you worried about what other people might think, because of Ginny?"

"Not really," he answered hesitatingly. He was certain there would be an uproar if he actually did come out, but it wouldn't be because of Ginny – at least not completely. "It's – this person I like – it's a guy."

"Oh." She looked momentarily stunned, clearly taken aback by this information and he looked at her nervously.

Something in him clenched when he realised that this was the first time he had uttered the idea of liking a guy aloud. He had played around with the idea in his mind since Sunday, but he had never said it aloud. It felt … weird.

"Okay, that's – a bit surprising, but it's great! It doesn't matter who you like, Harry," Hermione smiled warmly and squeezed his wrist gently. "As long as you're happy, that's all that matters."

"Yeah …" Harry bit his lip.

"What's wrong?" She frowned. "Are you afraid of what the others will think? They won't care about it, don't worry."

"It's not that," Harry said, shaking his head, though a part of him was a tad worried about the reactions of his friends. "It's just … I'm confused, I guess."

"Because you like a guy?"

"It's … I wasn't sure whether I actually liked him in that way, but since I started thinking about it, I just – can't stop and I'm … My head is a mess," he sighed.

_Eloquent as always_ , he thought sourly.

"Well … Do you feel happy when you're with him?" Hermione questioned, tucking a lock of her curly hair behind her right ear.

"Yes." He didn't even have to think twice about that; the answer escaped him instantly.

"Do you feel like you want to spend all your time with him?"

"Yeah." His voice grew a bit softer unconsciously.

"Does he make you happy?"

"Yeah, he does."

"Can you imagine being in a relationship with him?"

"I think I can, yeah," he answered slowly, mulling over the idea. So far he hadn't actually thought about an actual relationship between them, but the concept didn't freak him out as much as he thought it would.

In fact when he thought about it, his stomach did a funny flip and his cheeks warmed up.

His blush must be more noticeable than he assumed, because Hermione suddenly smirked and her brown eyes glittered as she said smugly, "Well, judging by your reaction, I think you're not that confused anymore, hm?"

"Shut up," he groaned and let his head fall back, cushioned by the wall behind him.

Teddy looked up confused before he went back to looking at the pictures.

"It'll be fine. Just tell him how you feel," she said and smiled. "If he has even a shred of intelligence, he knows you're the best catch there is," she teased and he snorted.

How shocked would she be if she knew that it was actually Draco who had started courting him and that it had been Harry who hadn't been sure how to react?

Well, until now that was. The chaos in his mind had died out now that he had had a chance to speak about it. He knew he had made a good decision to talk about it with Hermione. She had always managed to help him, no matter what kind of problem it was.

"So who's the lucky guy?"

Harry waited until she was about to drink more Butterbeer and then smirked. "Draco."

Having Butterbeer spat into his face when Hermione choked and started coughing was totally worth admiring the look of pure shock on her face.

* * *

A week after he had figured out the meanings of the flowers, Harry decided enough was enough. He was done with tiptoeing around. On Sunday evening, he sent Auryon to Draco with a short message.

' _Draco,_

_I know the meanings of all the flowers. What do you want to do now?'_

* * *

The entire Monday was spent feeling jittery as he cleaned up the house and distracted himself by playing with Teddy and teaching him more words; waiting for Draco's reply.

Would it have been better if he had confronted Draco directly? But he hadn't known how to do that without sounding like an idiot. Writing it down had seemed like the safest option, but now all he could do was worry about what Draco was thinking right now.

Was he still interested in Harry? Or had it been more like a passing fancy and Harry had just made an idiot out of himself?

Fuck, why was he so nervous? He hadn't even been this nervous when he had just started dating Ginny!

A peck against the window startled him and he quickly crossed the room to open the window; all the while keeping an eye on Teddy who was content to play with his blocks on his own. His heart skipped a beat when the rusty brown coloured owl hopped inside, immediately offering his leg. Just like all the other times the owl took off once Harry had removed the small box.

Flowers again, huh?

"This is going to be interesting," he muttered and sat down on the couch, keeping Teddy in his line of sight as he placed the box on the coffee table and enlarged it with a quick snap of his wand.

Once the lid and the walls of the box were down, the colour pink greeted him and he blinked. Bright pink roses greeted him first; twelve in total. They formed a circle around six large pink flowers: pink camellias.

"Oh wow, he really went all out this time," he muttered in awe and carefully stroked a petal of the closest pink rose.

"Oooh!" Teddy cooed, pointing at the flowers with large eyes.

Harry laughed. "I know, right? Your Uncle Draco doesn't do things by halves, it seems."

His gaze fell on the card nestled between a rose and a camellia and he carefully plucked it out of the bouquet. His heart started racing and he swallowed; his throat suddenly dry. Now he would know whether Draco was still interested or not.

Slowly he opened the card and started reading.

' _Harry,_

_It's quite simple: I want you. Took you long enough to figure out what the flowers stood for._

_If you don't feel the same for me, then we can just ignore this and we'll stay friends. No harm done._

_If you do feel the same for me – and quite frankly, I hope you do – then the roses will tell you when to meet me today in the Malfoy garden. Should you show up, I will take that as your confession of your feelings._

_I hope to see you soon._

_Draco'_

The blond didn't beat around the bush and Harry was grateful for that. With a shuddering breath, he turned back to the bouquet in front of him.

The roses, hm?

* * *

_Pink camellia are given when the sender wants to express their longing for that person. The flower literally means 'longing for you'._

_Roses have always been associated with romance. They are the most popular flower to buy when you want to woo someone; nobody can mistake that romantic gesture. What not a lot of people know, however, is that the different colours a rose can have also stands for different meanings. … When the rose is bright pink, it means 'meet me by moonlight'. Couples throughout the centuries have used this colour to …_

* * *

"You showed up."

The moon was nearly full and its light coloured the large garden silver. So close to the full moon, there was no need for any type of light and Harry had no trouble at all spotting Draco in front of the fountain. The white base gleamed in the moonlight and the dark haired man could make out carvings of water nymphs dancing around.

"You sound surprised," Harry remarked and halted a few feet away from the blond. He cocked his head and a smile played around his lips. "Not that confident in your courting?"

Draco shrugged and smiled wryly. "I admit that the flowers weren't exactly a conventional way to court you, but you deserve something special."

The words caught Harry off guard and he blushed, stuffing his trembling hands into his pockets.

Draco's eyes seemed pure silver when they regarded Harry patiently. "So can I take your presence here tonight as to mean that you return my feelings?" he murmured and there was a hint of uncertainty lingering in his voice. He stood stiffly; one gust of wind seemed enough to blow him over.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't," Harry answered, feeling a bit lightheaded and giddy at the same time. His stomach did several flips when Draco drew closer to him. "How long have you - "

"Been in love with you?" Draco finished his sentence and offered a crooked smile. "A while now. You?"

"A while apparently. I just hadn't figured it out for myself until now," Harry replied and his breath hitched when the blond closed the remaining distance between them.

"Is that so?" Draco murmured and raised a hand, cupping Harry's left cheek carefully. Silver grey stared right into emerald green and Draco bent closer, his mouth hovering against Harry's, as he whispered, "Last chance to back out, Potter."

"Not a chance," Harry breathed and then their lips touched and _oh_.

_Yeah_ , he thought dazed as Draco pulled him closer and their kiss grew more insistent as their lips rubbed slowly against each other, _not backing out at all._

Above them, the moon shone brightly, bathing them in its gentle light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: I hope this isn't as bad as I fear it is *winces* This was remarkably difficult to write ...
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
> 
> See you all in the next chapter, with as flowers: red chrysanthemum and coral rose!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	6. Red Chrysanthemum and Coral Rose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Apologies for the late update, but I had to finish the chapter today and it turned out to be quite longer than I expected it to be *coughs*
> 
> Also can I just say that I'm simply blown away by your response to the last chapter? Seriously, I didn't expect to receive so many reviews and you made me speechless with your sweet comments! Thank you so much for your support, I really appreciate it a lot!
> 
> Fair warning: I'm not entirely too sure about this chapter; I'm not too happy with how some scenes turned out, but nevertheless I hope it didn't turn out too bad *winces*
> 
> Thanks for all the comments and the kudos! I can't believe this story passed 200 kudos already?!
> 
> Seriously blown away by that staggering amount of reviews O_O
> 
> Warnings: fluff; lemon; time skips and an author who isn't certain about some scenes for which I apologise in advance
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling owns it.
> 
> I hope you'll like it!

_Chapter 6 Red Chrysanthemum and Coral Rose_

Harry had just finished putting vanilla frosting on the last chocolate cupcake when the sound of the Floo activating travelled into the kitchen, soon followed by familiar footsteps. A smile bloomed open on his face before he could stop it when arms slipped around his waist and a warm chest moulded itself against his back.

"Good afternoon," Harry hummed and put the empty bag of frosting on the counter, adding the cupcake to the blue plate.

"I see you've been busy setting everything up," Draco murmured, hooking his chin over Harry's shoulder.

"I had the time," Harry muttered and shrugged, careful not to dislodge the blond man.

Today was Teddy's first birthday and Harry had spent the entire morning decorating the living room with balloons in colours ranging from bright red to light blue and sunny yellow and grass green garlands with silver letters spelling out ' _Happy birthday, Teddy_!'. There was a two tiered chocolate cake with whipped cream already waiting on the table, put under a preservation charm and Harry had just finished baking and frosting fifteen cupcakes. The cake and the cupcakes were for the guests, of course, considering Teddy was still too young to eat cake, but there were bananas cut into small pieces and pureed strawberries and apples for the toddler to eat.

The gathering would be small: only Harry, Draco, Narcissa and Andromeda would show up. Hermione and Ron had wanted to come, but they still had classes so they weren't able to come. Instead they had sent their gifts with Ron's owl and Harry had added those to the pile of presents waiting in the living room.

Molly and Arthur had wanted to come, but had decided against it when they heard that Draco and Narcissa would be present as well. There was still quite some bad blood between the Weasleys and the Malfoys and even without Lucius being here Molly had figured it would be best if they kept away for now in order not to disturb the party. They would organise a belated birthday party in the summer so that the rest of the Weasleys and Hermione could be there.

Harry wasn't too bothered by the absence of the Weasleys and Hermione. Sure, it would have been nice to have his friends here as well, but he could already envision the rising tension if his friends were near Draco for a couple of hours and the dark haired man wasn't in the mood to break up a possible fight.

Speaking of Draco …

Harry turned around in Draco's hold and before he could say something, lips landed on his, while hands slipped down until they rested on his hips.

Something akin to butterflies fluttered in Harry's stomach when he turned his head a bit, deepening the kiss as his own hands rested on Draco's shoulders; not even registering the counter edge digging into his lower back.

They had been going out for two weeks now and their first official date had been a week ago when Draco had invited him to a picnic in a private park near Malfoy Manor. The park actually belonged to the Malfoy family and heavy wards kept Muggles away from it. The blond wizard had led him to the middle of the park – or what Harry had assumed was the middle, because he didn't have a clue as to how big the park actually was – where they had had a picnic in a field, surrounded by various flowers which bloomed in spring like dark pink pansies, white and yellow daffodils and pure white snowdrops.

They had been lucky with the weather as the sun had shone the entire day and they had spent the entire afternoon seated or lying on a blanket, talking about everything their minds came up with. And kissing.

Lots and lots of kissing.

"Did you miss me?" Draco smirked when they broke apart; his grey eyes glittering.

Lips still tingling madly, Harry rolled his eyes. "I saw you yesterday," he pointed out, but he couldn't keep that damn smile off his face and judging by Draco's quirked eyebrow he noticed it as well.

"Dada, 'iss!" Teddy demanded from his high chair and when Harry turned around to look at him, he saw his godson pouting, hands reaching out, as his eyes flickered between grey and green and his hair settled on a colour close to light brown. "'Iss, dada!" he repeated, puckering his lips and Harry laughed, stepping out of Draco's embrace.

"Sounds like someone wants a kiss too," he cooed and walked over to Teddy, picking him up out of his seat. Small, chubby arms immediately latched around his neck and Harry supported his weight with his arm, dropping a few kisses on Teddy's cheeks and nose, getting rewarded with squeals and wet, sloppy kisses pressed against his own cheek.

"A demanding little brat, isn't he?" Draco asked dryly, but he drew closer, ruffling Teddy's hair gently.

"Well, he is part Black," Harry muttered cheekily and yelped when a hand smacked his arse. "Hey! I'm holding precious cargo here!"

"Your godfather is a silly idiot," Draco informed Teddy and the boy blinked before reaching out to the blond with his left hand.

"Dwa!" he exclaimed and wiggled around, making it known that he wanted to be hold by the other man.

Grey eyes blinked surprised. "Was that – was he trying to say my name?"

"Looks like it," Harry smiled and grinned at the awe growing in grey eyes. "Guess he heard me say your name enough to pick it up. It also looks like he wants you to hold him."

After a bit of shifting and Teddy wriggling, Draco had him in his arms, with his head resting against his shoulder. The older wizard looked completely natural like this, holding Teddy in his arms as if he had done this his entire life instead of panicking in the beginning, fearing that he would drop Teddy on his head.

"Now, which other words can you pronounce, hm?" Draco murmured, absentmindedly walking up and down with Teddy in the kitchen, allowing one of his fingers to be clenched by Teddy's small fist. "Let's see if you can manage to call my mother 'auntie', okay? I'm sure she'll love that."

Harry put the high chair away and leant back against the kitchen counter with his arms crossed in front of his chest, listening with a faint smile how Draco attempted to teach Teddy to say ' _auntie_ '. The dark haired man thought it very unlikely that the blond would succeed, but that didn't lessen the amount of cuteness that the scene provided and his stomach did an odd flip.

He thought he could get used to this: having Draco with him in his home, the both of them taking care of Teddy.

Draco looked up and winked when he caught Harry's stare, using Teddy's small hand to blow him a kiss, and Harry laughed, feeling his cheeks warm. It was still way too early to think of Draco being here permanently like that. But …

Yeah, he definitely could get used to this.

* * *

"You did not." Andromeda's voice was flat and her eyes piercing as she stared incredulously at the present Harry had just helped Teddy unwrap.

"You can never start too early," Harry defended himself and smiled when Teddy cooed and patted the handle of the children's broomstick. "I'd like to think of it as continuing the tradition; Sirius gave me my first broom too."

"And I'm pretty sure your mother wasn't happy with that either," she retorted, but rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I'm holding you responsible if anything happens to my grandson, Harry."

"As if I would let anything happen to him," he murmured and reached out to grab the next present of the pile, which turned out to be from Draco. It was flat and wrapped in dark blue paper with silver stars. "Oh, look at this, Teddy: a present from your Uncle Draco."

"Dwa!" Teddy grinned and made grabby motions with his hands, shrieking delighted when Harry handed it over to him and he started ripping the paper apart.

The moment the wrapping paper fluttered to the floor in several pieces, Teddy paused and blinked, patting the flat box curiously. "Dada?" he implored; eyes switching from dark brown to light green.

"Let's see what Uncle Draco got for you, hm?" Harry said and removed the cover from the light cream coloured box. A startled laugh escaped him when he saw what was lying neatly folded in the box. "Really, Draco?"

"It fits your present, doesn't it?" Draco smirked, placing his glass of Butterbeer back on the table.

"You both are the absolute worst," Andromeda sighed, but there was a smile playing around the corners of her lips.

"Well, boys will be boys, I guess," Narcissa smiled when Harry turned the box around so the two women could take a look.

Draco had bought – or had placed a special order to make it – a Quidditch uniform in Teddy's size. Not just any Quidditch uniform, though. No, he had it tailored to look like that of Slytherin.

Harry really shouldn't be that surprised about it.

"You're awful, just saying," he commented, placing the box next to him on the couch.

"You're just jealous you didn't think of this," Draco teased and leant forwards to pick up the next present. He wrinkled his nose when he handed over the orange coloured gift. "Weasley sent this."

"What do you think Uncle Ron sent you, hm?" Harry placed the gift on Teddy's lap and watched amused how the little boy destroyed the paper, already knowing it had to be some kind of cloth because of how it had felt when he accepted it.

He was right. The cloth in question turned out to be dark blue pyjamas with small Snitches fluttering around.

"Oooh!" Teddy cooed, poking one of the Snitches. He giggled when the Snitch flew from underneath his finger and started hovering near the right shoulder.

"What is it with boys and Quidditch, honestly?" Andromeda clucked her tongue and chuckled.

"Rest assured, I doubt Hermione chose a Quidditch related gift," Harry replied amused, selecting Hermione's gift out of the slowly decreasing pile. "Knowing her, it will probably be something like a book."

Teddy started attacking the light green paper before his godfather even managed to place it on his lap.

"Called it," Harry remarked when Teddy had ripped off enough paper to reveal two fairy tale books.

"Woo," Teddy muttered, tapping on the picture of a dog on the first book.

"That's a dog, yes," Harry agreed and removed the rest of the wrapping paper. "Looks like we have something to read every evening now, huh?"

"Ah!" Teddy grinned in agreement; his eyes shifting to a golden brown now.

"I went a little overboard with the presents," Narcissa admitted when Harry stared at the collection of six presents, all wrapped in grass green paper.

"Well, I doubt Teddy is going to complain about it," Harry chuckled and brought the first box to Teddy.

The box was as big as Teddy was and a small huff escaped the boy before he clambered up right, Draco supporting his back so that he wouldn't topple off. Now standing up right, Teddy attacked the box with a new vigour, clearly taking delight in ripping and shredding the paper.

The box ended up containing a white teddy bear with a red bow tie. The fur felt incredibly soft, Harry discovered when he brushed a finger across a paw and Teddy seemed to agree with him, as he gripped the bear tightly around its neck and hugged it.

"Look what a beautiful teddy bear Aunt Narcissa bought for you," Harry cooed and Teddy laughed.

"Beh!" he said, plopping back down on his butt and snuggling the bear against his chest.

The teddy bear proved to be a winner, because Teddy refused to let go of it; not even the tempting offer of being able to shred more paper convinced him to stop cuddling it and in the end, Draco and Harry opened the rest of the presents.

The remaining gifts from Narcissa turned out to be more clothes: a couple of sweaters and t-shirts in the colours grass green, sky blue and soft purple; some black and white trousers; a light jacket and three pyjamas.

Andromeda's presents consisted out of toy blocks that would light up if they were put together by the same colour; a train that could ride on its own if the right spell was used on it and a puzzle that would project the drawing of the playing puppies when every piece was fitted correctly.

Teddy fell asleep soon after the last gift had been unwrapped; the excitement of the day having caught up to him.

"I'm going to put him in his bed," Harry whispered and carefully picked up the sleeping toddler from the couch, making sure not to disturb him. "It's time for his nap anyway."

Andromeda nodded. "We'll clean up here a bit," she murmured.

Harry smiled and silently left the room, holding Teddy in his arms with his teddy bear resting on his chest. His godson still had a fist clenched around the bear's paw; obviously not intent on letting go of it soon.

At some point in the afternoon it had started raining and the soft 'plink, plink' sound of raindrops hitting the window filled the bedroom when Harry opened the door. The sun had disappeared behind the clouds and the sky was grey; the colour dark enough that it wouldn't disturb Teddy in his sleep. Even so, Harry drew the curtains partly closed, knowing he couldn't really trust English weather to stay normal.

That done, he swiftly crossed the room to Teddy's bed where he slowly lowered the boy on the mattress. Teddy smacked his lips and turned his head, but didn't wake up, and after a bit of manoeuvring Harry managed to place the teddy bear in the upper right corner of the bed; close enough that Teddy would see it when he woke up, but not close enough that it could fall on him and cover his face.

"Happy birthday, Teddy," Harry whispered, smiling, and softly brushed Teddy's dark blond hair from his forehead. Looking up, he stilled when his eyes caught sight of the picture hanging above Teddy's bed.

It was one of the very few pictures of Remus and Tonks together; they had their arms wrapped around each other and were smiling. Tonks waved at Harry when he looked at her and his smile turned wistful.

"I'm taking good care of him, I promise," he murmured.

Remus and Tonks might not be alive anymore to raise their son, but Harry knew they would always be with Teddy.

The ones who loved you never really went away after all.

* * *

Fingers drew lazy, indistinguishable patters on his naked back; they left a thin line of searing heat behind and a shiver occasionally danced over his spine when fingertips brushed across a sensitive spot.

A soft breeze made the curtains flutter faintly; the warmth of a summer's day hung low in the room, making the occupants of it sluggish, too lazy to really move around anymore after what they had just done. Some birds chattered loudly, filling the evening with their song.

The crumpled sheets rustled when the other man shifted his leg; brushing it against his knee. Fingers halted, resting idly on his lower back; a warm imprint.

"Definitely a better birthday than last year," Draco murmured, breaking the peaceful silence between them for the first time in an hour.

The corners of his mouth turned up in a faint smile and he turned his head, looking at the blond through half lidded eyes. "I'd hope so, considering the shit that went on last year," he muttered, sleepiness tugging at his consciousness. He was far too comfortable to move; the activities of the hour before had left him exhausted, limp, but satiated

They had celebrated Draco's nineteenth birthday today, together with Teddy and Andromeda. Andromeda had left a few hours ago, taking Teddy with her for an impromptu sleepover. Harry had retreated with Draco to the blond's bedroom, escaping Narcissa's thoughtful gaze and Lucius' suspicious look.

"The school year is nearly finished," Draco mentioned. His hair was tousled and a lock nearly covered his right eye.

Harry blinked, taking a bit off guard at the sudden non sequitur remark. "Yes, I know," he replied, folding his hand underneath his cheek. "I'm going to see Ron and Hermione graduate. You're not coming?"

Draco ignored his inquiry and instead asked, voice carefully flat, "Do they know about us?"

The dark haired man slowly breathed out and studied guarded, grey eyes. "Hermione knows," he answered eventually. "I told her when I was figuring out what exactly I felt for you."

"And she hasn't shown up yet to hex me for corrupting you?" Draco's sneer was weak – whether from apprehension or fatigue, Harry could only guess.

"She just wants me to be happy," Harry sighed and rolled his shoulders in a lazy shrug. He smirked when a memory drifted to the surface of his mind. "Besides, she's much more likely to punch you in the face if it comes to that."

"Hah, really funny, Potter." Draco scowled, obviously remembering the same thing. "But she's the only one who knows?"

Green eyes blinked and Harry turned to lie on his back, keeping his eyes fixed on the blond lying next to him – and decidedly not looking down to prevent being distracted. "Yeah, she is. I would have known it immediately if she told Ron," he answered dryly. He paused and continued contemplatively, "Andromeda might have a hunch, I think. What about your parents?"

"They don't know yet," Draco said, pulling his hand from beneath Harry's back to place it on his stomach.

The touch so close to his groin made his stomach clench, his fingers twitching, before he relaxed. "Really? Because I got the impression that they knew what we were going to do."

"Merlin, I hope not, because that would be beyond embarrassing," Draco muttered and grimaced. "Mother might have an idea, I suppose. I haven't told them yet. Father just dislikes you on principle."

"The feeling is quite mutual," Harry retorted dryly, not in the least bothered by the admission. The war was over, but too much had happened between Harry and Lucius for the dark haired man to ever contemplate liking him. He would be civil towards the older man, because he was Draco's father, but that was the extent to which he was willing to go.

"Are you going to tell your friends?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Harry asked surprised and furrowed his eyebrows. "Unless you don't want me to?"

Grey eyes slid away from his and stared at the ceiling. "I figured you might want to keep us on the down low for now," he replied stiffly.

Harry frowned and turned to lie on his right side; his left hand slipping over Draco's chest to curl around his right side. "Why would I want that?" he questioned confused. "I don't care who knows about us."

Light coloured eyes peered at him warily. "The public won't be happy about it."

"And since when have I cared about what the public wants?" Harry rolled his eyes and huffed. "They're not entitled to anything in my life. They can fuck right off if they have any problems with us."

"Keep that in mind when the inevitable shit storm descends upon us," Draco murmured, but Harry felt him relax underneath his touch and there was a faint smirk colouring reddened lips.

"I don't care," Harry repeated and pressed a quick kiss on a sweat slicked shoulder. "If you'd like, you can come with me to the graduation and we'll tell Ron there that we're together."

"There's going to be an outrage," Draco predicted calmly. "Weasley is going to have a fit for sure."

"And since when has Ron having a fit stopped you from taunting him?" Harry inquired dryly. "Don't tell me you're not itching to see his face when we tell him."

"Well, I can't say it wouldn't be amusing to see Weasel's face," Draco mused thoughtfully; eyes glinting gleefully. "Or to imagine how the Weaslette will react when she realises who she lost you to."

"And there's that vindictive streak," Harry snorted, shaking his head.

"She's asking for it," Draco insisted and then rolled on top of Harry, pressing him back down on the bed. His hands landed on each side of Harry's face, supporting his weight, and he leant down; the tips of blond strands tickling Harry's cheeks. "So we're going to tell everyone in a couple of weeks?"

"Ready when you are," Harry smiled and his own hands reached up, travelling over Draco's naked back until they rested on sharp shoulder blades.

Draco's lips curved up into a smile and their mouths met in a soft kiss, tongues playfully tracing slightly bruised and reddened flesh. When they broke apart, a calculating look crossed silver grey eyes.

"What?" Harry breathed out, spreading his legs a bit to cradle Draco's body between them.

"Perhaps it's better if we tell my parents first," Draco replied, grimacing slightly. "Mother won't be pleased if she has to hear it from someone else first."

Harry paused and made a face when he realised the blond was right. Narcissa definitely wouldn't appreciate it if she had to hear from gossip that her son was in a relationship with Harry. Thinking about Narcissa caused his mind to create a link to Andromeda and he pursed his lips. It was probably for the best if he told the older woman about his relationship with Draco. It wasn't as if the situation between him and Andromeda was the same as the one between Draco and his parents, but he figured it was best if she knew about it.

That might lessen the chance of her accidentally walking in on them.

"Sounds like a plan," Harry agreed and snaked his hands around Draco's neck, pulling him back down. "But before we do that, there's something else I want to do first."

Draco smirked. "Sometimes you have great ideas, Potter," he breathed before their lips met again and the evening slipped away in a mess of tangled limbs, breathy moans and soft laughter.

* * *

"Relax, everything will be fine," Harry murmured, adjusting the light blue cap on Teddy's head, which protected him from the fierce sunlight. The little boy was seated on his lap and stared wide eyed at the students gathered at the front, who were awaiting the moment that they could go up to the stage and receive their degree.

Ron's eyes landed on them and he grinned, before pulling a face when he noticed Draco sitting next to Harry.

"Easy for you to say," Draco hissed; his face set in a fierce scowl.

"It's going to be fine," Harry insisted and squeezed Draco's knee reassuringly. "Trust me, if I can survive your parents' scrutiny, you'll be able to survive this meeting."

"My parents weren't that bad," Draco denied and frowned, but didn't remove Harry's hand; instead he covered it with his own.

"The only reason your father didn't hex me is because of the restrictions on his wand," Harry retorted flatly.

To say that Lucius hadn't been really happy with Draco's choice of romantic partner was the understatement of the year. His fingers had twitched and his hand had actually hovered above his wand before he seemed to realise that even if he drew his wand, he wouldn't be able to curse Harry.

Not that the dark haired wizard would have given him the chance to curse him, but still. The glared Lucius had thrown him before stalking out of the room had been clear enough.

"Yes, but mother adores you," Draco snipped, pursing his lips.

"Adore is probably a bit too much, but yeah, she did seem less inclined to curse me," Harry snorted, shaking his head.

Narcissa had reacted calmly, as if she had known long before that there was something more going on between Harry and her son. It wouldn't surprise him if that was the case. She had stated that she approved of their relationship and in the same breath had casually told Harry that her wand didn't have any restrictions and thus it would be smart of him not to hurt her son intentionally before serenely smiling and kissing their cheeks.

Harry was both in awe and terrified of her.

"Mon!" Teddy babbled, pointing insistently at Hermione who was ascending the stage, accepting her degree from McGonagall with a bright smile and red cheeks.

Harry retracted his hand from Draco's knee and helped Teddy clap his little hands together as everyone around them burst out in applause.

Green eyes caught troubled grey ones and Harry swiftly leant sideways, pressing a quick kiss on Draco's cheek. "It'll be fine, I promise," he muttered and sank back in his own chair, watching how the next student, a dark blonde haired girl, walked up the stage.

"Famous last words," Draco muttered, but remained quiet for the rest of the graduation ceremony.

Once the last person – who turned out to be Blaise Zabini – left the stage, McGonagall walked to the front and regarded the mass with a small smile on her face.

"I'm not going to waste your time when I know you all want to go celebrate," she said and several people laughed. "So I'm going to keep it short: I wish you all the best of luck and I hope you'll succeed in any endeavour you take on!"

Cheers erupted from the crowd and several recently graduated students threw their caps in the air; some even jumping up and down madly as excited laughter filled the air.

"Come on, time to face the music," Harry grinned and pulled Draco along with him, settling Teddy on his hip. He entangled his fingers with Draco's and the blond was uncharacteristically quiet as he trudged along with Harry through the squirming mass, locating Ron by his bright ginger hair.

Ron and Hermione were already surrounded by the Weasley clan when Harry and Draco finally escaped the crowd. Molly was pressing Ron – face as red as a tomato – against her chest, forcing him to bent over uncomfortably as she cried and smiled. Arthur was standing next to her, grinning proudly at his youngest son. Ginny was hugging Hermione before Fleur took over and kissed Hermione's cheek. Bill and George were grinning madly, thumping Ron's back.

Hermione was the first one to notice Harry and she grinned, face lightning up, before she ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck, being careful not to hurt Teddy.

"Harry! You came!" she laughed; her body vibrating with excitement.

He sputtered, wild, caramel brown hair smacking him in the face before she pulled back with a sheepish grin.

"Of course I came; why wouldn't I?" he chuckled and pressed a kiss against her cheek. "Congratulations, 'Mione. Not that there was any question you'd graduate," he teased and winked.

She huffed, but the grin on her face didn't diminish even when she slapped his arm. "Oh shut up," she groused, before her warm brown eyes fell on their joined hands and she quirked an eyebrow.

"Ready to come out?" she asked softly and smiled distractedly at Teddy, when the toddler patted her arm.

"We wouldn't be here together if we weren't," Draco said snidely and his hold around Harry's fingers tightened.

She opened her mouth, but was interrupted by Ron, who came over once he spotted Harry.

"Harry! It's great to see you, mate!" he called out and it was almost comical how he suddenly froze, his eyes growing wide and his face paling slightly when he caught side of Draco and their hands holding each other.

"Ron, why are you standing here like an idiot?" Ginny fussed, drawing nearer before she abruptly halted as well when she saw just who had accompanied Harry to the graduation ceremony.

"Draco and I have been together for three months now," Harry said and he really shouldn't feel so amused at the twin looks of shock on the Weasley siblings' faces. He shrugged and smiled. "I figured today was a good opportunity to tell you about it. Surprise!"

"Subtle, Harry, really subtle," Draco murmured, rolling his eyes, but Harry caught the smirk on his face when Ron and Ginny started spluttering incoherently at the same time.

He shrugged, serenely waiting until Ron and Ginny got the worst of their ranting out of their system, letting Teddy cling to his T-shirt as he stared with open mouth at the steadily reddening Weasleys.

Maybe he should have told Ron sooner about his relationship with Draco. But, he mused as he pulled Draco closer to him, it had been nice just to spend time with Draco without being berated about it by his best friend. Three months where they had the opportunity to get used to each other in this different setting, trying to figure out what had changed and what not.

Three months where they just had been able to _enjoy each other_. Where they had been able to spend time with each other without worrying about what others would think. That they had used to grow closer to each other, settling into this new bond.

Harry had needed that time more than he had been ready to admit at first and not even Ron's outraged reaction could make him regret not telling his friend sooner.

Ron would eventually accept the fact that Harry was together with Draco now, Harry was certain of that.

Until that happened, he just had to keep an eye on their wands. _And now_ , Harry thought with a sly grin, _I have new ways to distract Draco_.

And he wasn't above using those new ways if it was necessary – or even when it wasn't necessary.

* * *

"Draco? I got your note," Harry called out when he set foot on the landing. He pulled his t-shirt away from his chest, grimacing at the heat lingering around in the air. A bit further down the corridor a window stood open, letting the warm air inside.

The summer didn't seem to want to leave the United Kingdom just yet; it was the middle of September and yet the sun still shone as brightly as it had done in the middle of August. Harry had never used so many Cooling charms in just one summer.

Now he was in Malfoy Manor after he had received a short message from Draco, asking him to come to the manor. Not entirely certain what to expect, Harry had Floo'd Andromeda and asked whether she could take care of Teddy for today and possibly this evening as well.

She had agreed, all too eager to spend more time with her grandson and so after packing Teddy's bag and bringing him to Andromeda's house, Harry had Floo'd to Malfoy Manor. A house elf had greeted him when he stumbled out of the fireplace, informing him in his squeaky voice that Draco was waiting in his wing.

Draco's wing was the furthest one in the manor, located deep in the building. It was a way to ensure his privacy until he decided to move into another place.

Silence surrounded him; his footsteps muffled by the thick carpet hiding the marble floor from view. As he walked deeper into the corridor, a flash of something colourful caught his attention and he looked down, abruptly halting.

Stunned, he stared at the rose petals decorating the carpet, forming a path of their own. The deep coral colour stood out starkly against the white carpet and he knelt down, taking one of the petals off the floor. It felt soft between his fingertips and the sweet scent of rose danced into his nostrils. He let it flutter back to the ground as he rose up again, his eyes following the path the roses created.

"Someone is in a romantic mood," he murmured and something stirred in his stomach as he slowly followed the petals; curiosity and anticipation bubbling up in him.

The roses led him to the closed door of Draco's bedroom and after a short pause Harry pushed the doorknob down and let the door swing open soundlessly. The rose petals covered the floor here as well, creating a clear path to Draco's bed. Some petals were scattered on the white pillows and Harry stepped inside; nervous butterflies racing around in his stomach.

A movement in the corner of his eye made Harry turn around. "I was starting to wonder whether you had given up on the flowers," he remarked lightly and watched how Draco smirked, twirling a rose between his fingers.

"Do you know what a coral rose means, Harry?" Draco asked conversationally. A casual flick of his wand had the door locking behind the dark haired wizard.

"Lead the way?" Harry suggested; his hands started to feel clammy all of a sudden and the ridiculous thought shot through his head that maybe he was underdressed for whatever this was.

"Good guess, but no," Draco chuckled and approached the other man; eyes glimmering faintly. He came to a stop a few inches in front of Harry and tapped the rose against Harry's cheek; the silky soft petals tickling his skin. "Do you remember our conversation from a week ago?"

"Which conversation are you …" Harry trailed off and he felt his cheeks heat up when he recalled exactly which conversation the blond wizard was talking about. "Oh."

The rose petals suddenly acquired a whole new meaning.

"Coral means desire," Draco murmured and he trailed the rose down to Harry's neck. "I think this colour is fitting, don't you agree?"

"Do you want to – now?" Harry's voice went high and he flushed with embarrassment.

"If you want to," Draco said and his other hand came up to trail thin trails of heat across Harry's shoulder, down his arm. "We're not going to be disturbed; I made sure of that. Unless you don't want – "

"No, I want to!" Harry blurted out and cleared his throat, ignoring Draco's chuckle. "How do you, you know, want to start?"

"Kissing you sounds like a good start, hm?"

Harry was pretty sure he was as red as a tomato now. "Sounds like a good idea, yeah," he practically squeaked and thankfully for his dignity, Draco shut him up by kissing him before he could embarrass himself even more.

The insistent pressure of a firm mouth against his own and a tongue sneaking out to trace his lips drowned out the embarrassment lingering in him and he gave in, bringing his arms around Draco's shoulders to haul him closer, tilting his head to the side to fit their lips better together.

Somehow they managed to stumble towards the bed without tripping or falling down once, which was quite the miracle if one considered that their mouths stayed glued together. Harry was the first to land on the bed, bouncing up and down a bit, and he pulled Draco down with him, their mouths separating in order to get some air, as he kicked off his shoes. They landed somewhere behind the bed with a muffled 'thump', but Harry was far more interested in the mouth sucking a bruise right underneath his ear.

Hands drifted down towards his shirt and tugged at it, pulling it up higher. "This needs to get off," Draco said roughly and pulled back slightly, panting.

"I could say the same of yours," Harry pointed out breathlessly and hastily pulled off his shirt, throwing it on the floor.

Draco grinned and whipped off his shirt as well, letting it join Harry's on the floor. His former immaculate hair was quite tousled now and Harry couldn't resist running his fingers through it, feeling the soft strands slip through his digits.

Draco lowered himself down again and Harry bit down a hiss at the sensation of Draco's warm skin touching his own; their dicks rubbing together through their trousers when the blond settled between his legs. They paused, grey staring down straight into green, before their lips found each other again and their hands started exploring their chests, feeling muscles contract and relax underneath their touch.

A soft curse escaped the dark haired man when devious fingers pinched his left nipple, sending bolts of exquisite pain pleasure through his nerve system. Not one to be outdone, Harry pushed the other man slightly away and latched onto a pale pink nipple with his lips, laving attention on the nub with his tongue; smiling when he felt it harden against the tip of his tongue and felt more than heard Draco groaning softly, slender fingers threading through his hair. His left hand danced across a flat stomach, flitting up until his thumb circled around Draco's right nipple, teasing and caressing it until it pebbled underneath his touch.

A sharp tug at his hair forced him to pull back and before he could say something, a pair of hungry lips devoured him, a tongue curling and dancing around his own, and he moaned; pleasure pooling in his stomach, spreading out to the rest of his body.

They fell back on the bed and hands impatiently pulled at his trousers, wrestling with the zipper. A laugh escaped the green eyed man and his magic rose to the surface, tingling his skin, until he suddenly became aware of a soft breeze against his bare legs and pale skin touching his own tanned one.

Draco pulled back from where his lips had been worrying a new mark into Harry's neck and looked down, blinking bemused. "Well, I guess that works too," he muttered, watching with interest how Harry squirmed when he trailed his fingers down the man's sides.

"A bit ticklish, Harry?" Draco smirked, obviously delighted by this new piece of information.

"Continue and I will kick you out of bed," Harry swore and the other man laughed, but acquiesced, his light, tickling touches becoming firmer, caressing lovingly as fingers trailed indistinguishable paths along Harry's chest and stomach.

Pressing kisses in Draco's neck, Harry shifted down until he selected a patch of skin right above the blond's collarbone and licked and sucked at it, biting it gently until the pale skin bloomed bright red.

With only their underwear left on, they both could feel the tension rising between them and their kisses became more heated, harsher, more passionate; their breathing harsh in the otherwise silent room. Their hands caressed and stroked, teased and danced; nails leaving thin red lines behind over chests and backs. Their hips rocked together and their underwear dampened, their cocks twitching, dribbling out pre cum as excitement increased. Moans and cut off gasps filled the air between them; their skin turning slick with sweat. They both felt hot, but neither one was inclined to move away, only wanting to be closer still.

"You ready?" Draco whispered against bruised, swollen lips and Harry nodded, too dazed to properly reply.

Draco shifted and in one smooth movement pulled Harry's underwear down, throwing it on the floor before discarding his own. They both moaned loudly when their bare cocks brushed against each other and another burst of arousal sparked through Harry.

A small jar was dumped next to Harry's hip and Draco placed his wand on the nightstand, having used it to summon the jar. When the lid came off, a light, slightly sweet scent was released and Draco dipped three fingers in the jar. Slick, clear gel coated his fingers when he pulled them back and grey eyes looked questioningly at Harry.

The butterflies were back with a vengeance, but Harry inclined his head and spread his legs further. A pillow was wedged beneath his arse and Draco leant over him, slipping one finger between his cheeks. The slickened fingertip circled around Harry's entrance, caressing it slowly before slipping inside for a bit. The finger retreated again and once more circled soothingly across his rim. This time when it slipped inside, the finger went deeper and the odd, invasive feeling caused Harry to tense up and he held his breath; fingers gripping the crumpled sheets.

"It's okay, just relax," Draco murmured and kissed Harry again; his other hand coming up to caress Harry's cheek. "I promise I'll make you feel good," he crooned against reddened lips and Harry exhaled, forcing himself to relax.

The finger went in deeper and brushed against something, sending a jolt through Harry, but retreated before he could feel more of the pressure. Draco entered his finger a few more time before he added a second finger, pressing firmly against his entrance. Two fingers proved to be more of a challenge and Draco paused as Harry tensed up again around the two digits. Squirming a bit, not knowing whether to push back or pull away, Harry focused on his breathing until he felt himself relax. The fingers slid deeper inside, caressing his walls and he moaned brokenly when they prodded that one particular spot again.

"Dr-Draco," he groaned, his eyes automatically closing as pleasure sparked through him, setting his nerves alight as the fingertips continued pressing and prodding that spot, making him shudder and whimper.

"Ah, I was wondering when I would find it," Draco muttered and sounded smug.

Green eyes shot open and Harry wanted to slap the blond for being so damn smug, but another tremor wrecked his body as the fingers kept assaulting that place; pre cum dribbling liberally down his cock.

A third finger entered him, stretching him more than the two fingers had done; the burn of the stretch warring with the pleasure coursing through his veins as Draco kept distracting him with deep kisses. He moaned, feeling oddly full and gasped when the three fingers pressed firmly against that spot. Pleasure exploded, white filling his vision, and he arched his back as a garbled version of Draco's name escaped his throat; coming violently as if his orgasm was punched out of him.

"Fuck!" He opened his eyes, panting harshly as his body kept trembling with the aftershocks of his orgasm. He was sweaty, dark strands sticking to his forehead, limbs feeling like rubber, as he gazed breathlessly at Draco, who was staring back at him with wide eyes.

Fingers left him and a whimper escaped him, feeling oddly empty as his muscles clamped down around nothing. Draco settled himself back between Harry's legs and Harry's breath escaped him in a whoosh when fingers trailed through the mess on his stomach.

Blond hair cast a shadow across Draco's face as he leant forwards, resembling a predator. Harry certainly felt like a helpless pray underneath the look of raw hunger.

"Think I can make you come again?" Draco questioned throatily, voice rough and low.

Before Harry could even think of a retort – and that seemed like an impossible feat with how mushy his brain had become – Draco captured his mouth again, slick lips sliding against his own as fingers dug into his hips. A hand clamped down on his thigh, pulling it up a bit and around Draco's hips, leaving the dark haired man exposed.

Harry's eyes shot open – and when had he closed them again? – when he felt Draco's cock resting against his stretched entrance, not doing anything for the moment. Grey eyes sought his and as Draco kept gazing intently at him – so intense Harry wanted to look away and yet he couldn't at the same time – he pressed forwards, the tip of his cock slipping past Harry's rim, stretching his inner muscles even more as he rocked his hips forwards, sliding deeper inside.

Deeper and deeper until he suddenly stopped and paused; his breathing harsh against Harry's lips. Harry scarcely dared to move, every twitch and tremor causing pain to spike through him as he tried to get used to the novelty of being filled for the first time. He felt full, so full, and completely surrounded by the blond and his breathing was shallow, his eyes fixated on the ceiling as he tried to make sense of the array of sensations assaulting his nerves; his fingers clawing into the sheets.

"Harry? You okay?" Draco breathed; a sliver of concern worming its way into his voice.

Harry swallowed and blinked, feeling overwhelmed and helpless, trapped as he was beneath the blond. "I …" he trailed off, not knowing how to describe what he felt right now.

"Does it hurt?" A frown marred Draco's forehead and he looked frustrated; his mouth set in a thin line.

Impulsively Harry reached out and smoothed out the frown with his index finger, offering a wavering smile. "A bit," he admitted, knowing he wouldn't get away with lying. Not to Draco. He took a deep breath and focused on relaxing his muscles, forcing himself to unclench them. His arms slipped around Draco's shoulders, hands coming to rest on a strong back. "But you can move. I want you to move," he added in a stronger voice.

Yes, it hurt now, but he trusted Draco to make him feel good.

The intensity in those silver grey eyes never wavered – and this was the first time Harry discovered there were actually tiny specks of blue close to the iris – as Draco slowly pulled back, his eyes cataloguing every minuscule twitch in Harry's face. He pressed forwards again and the movement was a bit smoother now. A few more thrusts and Harry tentatively started to enjoy himself, the burning sensation making way for just an odd feeling of being full.

Bruised lips covered his own and as he returned the fierce kiss, a sudden thrust caused Draco's cock to be pressed fully against that hidden spot and he jolted, pleasure spiking through him and a deep moan left him. His cock stirred, obviously taking interest in the proceedings.

"Found it," Draco panted and shifted, angling his hips just so that with the next thrust he hammered against the spot again and another bolt of pleasure shot through Harry.

"Oh fuck," he groaned, his nails biting down in pale skin when Draco kept hitting that spot, wave after wave of pleasure assaulting him, drowning him.

Already having come once, it didn't take long for him to get worked up again; the scent of Draco's skin surrounding him, their kisses growing sloppy and uncoordinated, hot breath caressing their faces as they moved, toes curling into the crumpled sheets. Draco's right hand gripped Harry's left hand and he brought them up together, pressing them down into the pillow next to the younger man's head, entangling their fingers.

"I-I'm close," Draco groaned, eyes closed as sweat dripped down his face.

"M-me t-too," Harry stammered, another whimper torn out of him when the pressure inside him kept building up, Draco's relentless thrusting never ceasing, never easing up.

"Fuck, Harry!" Draco moaned, his hips stuttering to a stop, his fingers clenching down around Harry's, as he shook and Harry felt something hot filling him, dripping out him.

A brief brush of a hand was all Harry needed to be thrown over the edge a second time, his orgasm even more intense than the first one, pleasure overloading his senses as he moaned and shivered, clenching down around Draco's cock still inside him.

For a while the room was only filled with their loud, harsh panting; their hearts hammering wildly inside their chests as they tried to get their bearings back. When Draco pulled back, Harry winced, feeling too sensitive, but he didn't protest when the blond sank down next to him and pulled him in his arms, even if a twinge of pain shot through him when he shifted his legs.

He felt worn out, exhausted, sticky, sweaty, limbs resembling jelly more than actual body parts and bare, vulnerable in a way he wasn't used to. He loved every second of it.

"No regrets?" Draco murmured, lips tiredly caressing Harry's shoulder.

He shifted his head, a petal resting right between them and smiled, feeling lighter than he had ever before. "No regrets," he whispered and their lips met in a tender kiss before sleep stole them away.

Light and dark hair clashing as they slept peacefully in each other's embrace.

* * *

" _I have a flower for you," Draco murmured and a flower with multiple, thin, red petals was placed on Harry's bare chest._

_Harry picked it up, carefully touching the petals and inhaling the sweet scent. "What's this one called?" he inquired curiously, squinting up at Draco. He really should put his glasses back on._

" _It's a chrysanthemum," Draco replied, studying him intently._

" _And what does it mean?"_

_A soft smile painted swollen lips. "Why don't you find out?"_

Keeping the flower in his hand, Harry browsed through his book, grimacing every time he shifted a bit; the dull ache in his lower back reminding him he needed to take a soothing potion if he wanted to keep Andromeda unaware of what exactly had transpired between him and the blond man last night.

"Ah, red chrysanthemum," he muttered, finally locating the flower in the book. "Oh."

Stunned he switched his gaze from the book to the flower and giddiness filled him, warmth spreading out through his chest and he started grinning silly, twirling the red flower between his fingers, feeling like he could burst from happiness.

_A red chrysanthemum has a lot in common with the rose in that it means 'I love you'._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: I hope this isn't as bad as I fear it is *winces* I'm afraid it comes across as a bit rushed at some points and that's something I wanted to avoid, but I'm not sure whether I succeeded :/
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me!
> 
> Next chapter will be called Forget-Me-Not and Garden Pink!
> 
> See you all in the next chapter!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	7. Forget-Me-Not and Garden Pink

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Earlier than last week; I'm making progress LOL Also do note that yes, I still suck at writing the particular scene at the end *sweatdrops* For which I apologise.
> 
> Thanks for the comments and the kudos! Nearly 300 kudos already, holy crap! 
> 
> Thank you again for all those lovely reviews! I can't thank you enough for them!
> 
> Warnings: small flashback; some timeskips; fluff; don't mess with Hermione
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling owns it!
> 
> I hope you'll like it!

_Chapter 7 Forget-Me-Not and Garden Pink_

"You're serious about this?" Harry asked incredulously, lowering his glass of ice cold tea on the desk.

McGonagall folded her hands together and placed them on top of some papers, offering a faint, amused smile. "Yes, I'm serious about this offer. I wouldn't have called you here otherwise. Why wouldn't I be serious about this?"

"I don't have a degree. I didn't even take my exams yet," he pointed out and scratched the back of his head.

"Now he starts paying attention to the rules," Snape muttered darkly. The man had been reading an old tome when Harry had entered the Headmistress' office, but he seemed to favour eavesdropping on the conversation more than his book.

"But you do have one of the highest results in Defence against the Dark Arts that we have seen in years," McGonagall retorted, serenely ignoring Snape's grumbling.

Harry had a feeling she tended to ignore the older man often when he was in that mood.

"And almost every student who was a member of the club you taught in survived the war," she continued, voice growing solemn. "That proves that you do have a knack for teaching."

"I don't know," he said hesitatingly, tapping his fingers on the armchair. "I've never really thought about actually teaching a class. I hadn't even been planning on teaching the DA members – Hermione's the one who convinced me to do that."

"You don't have to make a decision right now," she assured him and the sunlight pouring in through the window made her glasses gleam. "It's still a couple of months before the new schoolyear starts. I made the offer because I trust your teaching skills – more importantly, you actually know the content."

At his bemused look, she clarified wryly, "The Ministry recommended someone for the post two years ago and I agreed, because I had a difficult time finding people to fill in vacancies. Unfortunately, the knowledge of that person is … Well, he seems to have a grasp of the theoretical aspect, but the students have a difficult time with the actual practical part." She uttered a soft sigh and pursed her lips. "I know the war is over now and I hope that they won't ever need their DADA skills, but I want them to be able to defend themselves when they have to. You're the most suitable person to teach them defence."

"I'll think about it," he promised. "I have Teddy to consider as well."

"Of course," she agreed. "Take your time, I understand. I'll need your final answer by the second week of August."

"Education has gone to hell if you have to rely on someone without a degree," one of the portraits, an old man with a bushy beard, sneered; his beady eyes staring at Harry suspiciously.

"Well, it's this degree less person who helped save the Wizarding world, so I guess degrees are rather redundant when it comes down to it," Harry riposted cheerfully and smiled sweetly at the former Headmaster.

The man glared even harder, but remained quiet and Harry turned back to McGonagall. "I'll let you know my decision as soon as possible," he stated.

"Thank you, Potter."

They shook hands and – well aware of the contemplative look Snape was favouring him with – Harry made his way downstairs where the gargoyle slowly moved aside to let him through. The beautiful weather had coaxed the students out of their dorms and they were lounging near the lake and forest, chattering to their friends while some made a half-hearted attempt at studying, their books lying open in front of them on the grass. There were still classes going on and Harry could pick up the voice of Binns droning on about the first Goblin war when he passed that classroom.

Several paintings greeted him cheerily; some of the wizards tipping off their hats for him while some of the women giggled and blushed as they waved at him. He had spoken to Nearly Headless Nick right before his appointment with McGonagall. The ghost had filled him in on some of the things happening at Hogwarts before he had to leave, trying to prevent Peeves from setting up yet another prank.

When he had received McGonagall's letter a few days ago, requesting to speak to him, he had never expected to hear that particular offer. He knew the new DADA professor wasn't a very good one – not like Remus had been – judging by the many times his friends had complained about the man, but he hadn't realised it was bad enough for the Headmistress to consider wanting to hire someone else.

 _He_ was this someone else if he decided to accept the offer. Despite the fact that two years had passed since the war had officially ended, he still hadn't really figured out what he would do with the rest of his life. He supposed he could simply live off the money he had inherited from his parents and Sirius; that amount was certainly enough to last him for the rest of his life. However, he couldn't envision himself doing absolutely nothing; that just wasn't him. For the last couple of months he had played around with the idea of becoming a Duelling Instructor. His affinity for and his interest in Defence against the Dark Arts certainly would come in handy for that particular job. The main problem, however, was the actual etiquette surrounding the profession. He could teach people how to duel, but he had no knowledge of the actual rules and etiquette involved with it; Lockhart had attempted a Duelling club in his second year, but that clearly had been a failure.

He could learn the etiquette; he was certain there were books dedicated to it and Hermione would find it no trouble at all to help him find those. But if he had to be honest, he just couldn't be bothered by learning the etiquette. It wasn't as if those rules would be of much help during an actual fight between life and death.

Still, the idea of being a Duelling Instructor had lingered in the back of his mind until McGonagall had offered him the position of DADA professor. In all his years he only had a couple of good DADA professors – and one of them ended up being an imposter. Fifth year had been the most disastrous one with him setting up a club just to make sure that the students would actually learn something useful. She was right in that almost every member of his club had survived the war. She also had a point when she said he knew the material well; thanks to the DA club he also had figured out the best way to tutor students.

Really, becoming a professor wouldn't be that bad of an idea. It would give him the chance to use his knowledge and he would be helping out McGonagall. In spite of the trouble he had often encountered here, Hogwarts would always be a second home to him; it wouldn't be a hardship to spend his days working here.

The only issue was Teddy. His godson had just turned two years old; he still needed constant supervision. Andromeda probably wouldn't consider it a problem to babysit her grandson for at least five days each week, but Harry couldn't make her do that. He had decided to raise Teddy and he couldn't just ship off the boy for nearly the entire week just to teach some classes. He didn't want to miss seeing his godson grow up.

The large front door creaked a bit when he pushed it open and sunlight poured in immediately, making him squint a bit. Heat simmered around him as he made his way down the wide path aiming for the gates where he would be able to Apparate away. He would have to go to Andromeda first to pick up Teddy and then go home where Draco was.

Draco had moved in with him three months ago; the constant switching between Harry's home and Malfoy Manor annoying them too much in the end. The blond wizard had decided to become a Potions Master, following in his godfather's footsteps. The basement in Harry's house had been cleared out and turned into a potion's lab for the older man where he brew and experimented.

Living together with Draco was more exhilarating than he had imagined and they had celebrated their first night together thoroughly – after first casting a permanent Silencing Charm on their now shared bedroom of course. It wouldn't do to have Teddy hearing them.

Green eyes glanced back at the gates swinging close behind him. He would have to make a decision eventually – but not now. He still had time.

Now he was going to pick up Teddy and spend the rest of the afternoon with his godson and boyfriend.

* * *

"'Ight, daddy," Teddy mumbled through a yawn, his eyes already closed as he curled his hands into fists.

"Sweet dreams, Teddy," Harry murmured and rose up from his chair, placing the fairy tales book back onto the shelf. He brushed Teddy's dark blond hair back, noting that it was nearly time to get it cut again, and tiptoed out of the room. A charm would alert him if Teddy woke up and needed him, but to be on the safe side he left the door ajar so he could still hear Teddy crying.

Ever since he had developed his speech, he had called Harry 'daddy'. Hearing Teddy call him that made him both happy and guilty, because the man who Teddy really should be calling dad wasn't here anymore to hear his son say that. In a couple of years he would explain to Teddy what exactly the difference was between a father and a godfather, but for now he would just leave it be. There wasn't any real harm done anyway with Teddy calling him dad.

Draco was lying on the couch, reclining against two pillows as he went through some notes. Grey eyes looked up when Harry entered the room and the notes were put on the table, together with the quill.

"Teddy asleep?" he inquired and spread his legs so that Harry could sit between them.

Strong arms wrapped around Harry's chest when he laid down, his back against Draco's stomach, lying low enough that he could rest his head on the blond's shoulder. "Yeah, guess the running around in the garden sapped all his energy," he chuckled, raising his knees so that he could rest his feet on the couch. "How's the studying going?"

"It's going well. I finally figured out where I went wrong with the potion two days ago," Draco replied wryly.

"Good to hear. The scent of rotten eggs is nearly gone too in the lab," Harry remarked dryly and snickered when the blond swatted his leg.

"A minor miscalculation; that's all," Draco muttered petulantly and shifted his arms, resting his hands on Harry's stomach.

For a while neither of them said anything and just relaxed in each other's company, listening to the birds chattering outside before they would go to sleep as well. Some crickets chirped faintly and in the distance there was a dog barking furiously before it quietened down as well.

Draco stirring behind him pulled the dark haired man out of the doze he had fallen into and he blinked rapidly, dispelling the fog in his head. A pale hand rose up from his stomach and enveloped his left hand, holding it up in the air in front of them.

"You know what would look good on you?" Draco asked; the timbre of his voice low, reverberating in his chest.

Harry grinned impishly. "Less clothes?" he suggested lightly, tilting his head back so he could look at the blond upside down.

Draco paused, visibly startled by the comment before he smirked. "While I do agree with that," here his eyes darkened visibly and Harry swallowed, "I'm talking about something else now."

Harry twisted around, kneeling between the older wizard's legs and cocked his head. Draco's hand had briefly loosened, allowing him to turn around, but now he took Harry's hand again. "What are you talking about then?" he inquired curiously, watching how slender fingers entangled with his own.

"A ring," Draco answered casually.

Still caught up in the sensation of smooth skin touching his own, Harry started absentmindedly, "I guess that would be nice – wait, what?" Astonished he stared at the grey eyed man, not certain whether he had heard him correctly.

Teeth dug into a lower lip, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth and grey eyes softened; something akin to nerves quickly flashing across his face. A hand dipped behind his back and when Draco brought his hand back in sight, he was holding a small, black, velvet box.

Harry's heart skipped a beat as he stared speechlessly at the box; the sound of his blood rushing loud in his ears.

Draco sat up straighter and folded his legs underneath him; the lazy, teasing atmosphere in the room changing almost imperceptibly, charged with tension, as the box was clicked open, revealing a silver ring with a single green line in the middle. The green line was made out of emerald and gleamed in the light.

"I realise we've only been together for a little more than a year," Draco started and his voice rang clear through the living room. "But we've known each other since we were eleven years old. We know each other better than anyone else. Harry, these past two years as your friend and this past year as your partner have been the best years of my life so far – and I know that it's only going to get even better. I hit my lowest point during the war – but you were there to pull me out of it. You didn't have to, but you still did it. Every day I wake up and I spend a moment telling myself that you're really here with me, that you love me back and I still can't believe that's real, that I'm really that lucky."

A self-deprecating chuckle escaped him. "Being with you – it's like a dream, something I never thought I would have. Sure, we fight sometimes and Merlin, you have to be the most stubborn, insufferable twat I've ever met - "

"Aw, Draco, you do know how to flatter someone," Harry teased, but there was a lump in his throat and tears were blurring his sight; his cheeks heating up as he gazed at the man who he had fallen hopelessly in love with.

"Shut it, Potter, don't interrupt me," Draco sniffed, but his eyes shone suspiciously wet and he cleared his throat; his hand holding the box wavering slightly. "Merlin, I can't believe I'm going to say something this sentimental, but I want to make you happy. I want to be the one who can make you smile every day. I want to be the one you come home to every day, the one you can share your trouble with. I want to grow old with you and watch you become even more annoying that you are right now."

He smirked, but his cheeks were dusted pink and he sounded slightly choked as he continued, "I love you and nothing, no force in the world, not anyone, is ever going to change that. I want to be a family with you and Teddy; I want to take care of you both. I want to make you as happy as you make me. Harry James Potter, will you marry me?"

Overwhelmed as he was, there was no doubt in his mind as Harry smiled, tears trickling down his cheeks, and answered, "Yes, I want to marry you!"

A blinding smile unfolded on Draco's face and he slipped the ring around the ring finger of Harry's left hand; a perfect fit.

"You don't know how happy you make me," Draco whispered, bending close to Harry; his hand tightening around the dark haired man's hand.

"I can make a good guess," Harry laughed watery and their lips met in a tender kiss; butterflies racing around in his stomach and the ring warming between their entwined fingers.

Outside, the day bled into night; the stars glittering as brightly as the emeralds adorning the ring.

* * *

When eyes opened, revealing emerald green, they fell on the ring adorning his finger and instantly all traces of sleepiness disappeared and he couldn't stop a big smile from spreading out on his lips; excitement bubbling up, spreading its bright glow throughout his body.

He was _engaged_. He and Draco were going to get married. Draco was _his fiancé_ now.

_Oh Merlin._

Discreetly he pinched his thigh and even though it stung and he hissed a bit, the smile never left his face. He probably looked ridiculous now, but he couldn't care less. He was going to marry the man he loved – he had the right to grin ridiculously now.

The door opened and he rolled around, the sheets twisted around his waist. "Teddy!" he said surprised, not having expected his godson to enter the room.

The two year old grinned widely; his hair darkening to a black blue and his bright blue eyes glittered as he toddled over to the bed, his small hands clutched around a small basket of –

Flowers.

The brown basket was filled to the brim with small, pink flowers. Each flower had five petals and a frilled margin; the spicy fragrance of the pink flower danced in the air, curling up into his nostrils.

"Fo' you, daddy!" Teddy chirped, holding out the basket. "Unca Dray give it!"

"Thank you, Teddy. Did you carry these flowers all by yourself? Such a big boy already!" Harry praised, accepting the basket and placing it next to him on bed, before he helped his godson climb up.

Teddy beamed. "Yes, daddy!" he replied proudly and giggled when Harry kissed his forehead. Plopping down on the bed, he snuggled into Harry's side with a happy sigh.

Harry's attention was suddenly caught by a golden card nestled in the right side of the basket and he extracted it carefully, eager to read it.

' _Harry,_

_Words can't describe how happy you make me every day. No word in the English language is enough to convey how much I love you, but I hope that these garden pinks will at least give you a hint._

_For once I'll make it easy for you and include the meaning of this specific flower – don't expect me to make it this easy for you all the time, my dear fiancé._

" _Dianthus plumarius, more commonly known as garden pink, is the perfect choice if you want to convey pure love."_

_I'm looking forward to proving you how much I love you every day, Harry._

_All my love,_

_Draco'_

"Did somebody order breakfast in bed?"

Harry looked up and was met with the sight of a smirking Draco holding a tray. The tray contained a glass of orange juice; a bowl of cut up fruit; two slices of buttered toast and a plate with two fried eggs and bacon.

His heart skipped a beat and he grinned, his cheeks flushing. He was aware of how silly he must look right now, but who cared about that when his fiancé was bringing him breakfast in bed?

_His fiancé._

Merlin, he would never tire of that word. His cheeks were starting to ache a bit with the force of his smile and as soon as Draco was close enough, he pulled him down by his collar to kiss him thoroughly, ignoring Teddy's "Oooh! Kissy!".

"Good morning," Draco murmured against his mouth, slightly breathless, as they broke apart.

Staring straight into molten silver, Harry smiled giddily and replied, "Definitely a good morning."

The first morning of the rest of their lives together.

* * *

Informing their friends and family that they were going to get married was … an interesting experience to say the least.

Andromeda was happy, congratulating them sincerely and hugging them both. Narcissa smiled and kissed their cheeks, her ice blue eyes warm as she regarded them and she made them promise that she could help planning their wedding. Lucius had a sour look on his face as if he had been sucking on a lemon and he had begrudgingly congratulated them. Harry was far too amused with his reaction to feel offended by the glare the older blond had gifted him with when his wife had looked away.

Now, Hermione and the Weasleys … Their reactions were quite mixed – something which Harry had anticipated, given the history between the Malfoys and the Weasleys, but it was still something that vaguely annoyed him. Hermione, predictably, was the first to congratulate them, kissing Harry's cheek and hugging him tightly, and even shaking Draco's hand, warning him to take care of her friend.

Bill grinned and shook their hands, while his wife Fleur hugged them both, surrounding them with her flowery perfume. George – who was slowly becoming the George they had known before, making peace with his twin's death – simply clapped their shoulders, a faint grin lingering around his mouth as he told Draco to better behave or he would find himself subjected to some creative pranks.

Percy merely nodded them, too busy with their paperwork. Charlie – who was home for a couple of days – congratulated them cheerfully, wishing them both the best.

Molly and Arthur – they had reserved smiles on their faces, clearly still not at ease around Draco, but their tone was sincere when they told the two men they were happy for them.

That only left Ron, who was as pale as a ghost, and Ginny, who had remained quietly next to Dean the entire time as her brothers and parents congratulated Harry and Draco.

Ron cleared his throat and stepped forward, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, I still think you can do better, mate," he said, ignoring Draco's growl. "But if he makes you happy, then, well, I'm happy for you, Harry. Congratulations on getting married."

"Thanks, Ron," Harry smiled warmly, knowing that in the end he could still count on his friend to accept his life choices – even if those choices were something the ginger haired man disagreed with.

That only left Ginny, who stared at Harry with pursed lips. The silence became stifling as the rest of the Weasleys glanced between her and Harry and Molly frowned.

"Well, congrats on getting married, Harry," Dean smiled, shaking Harry's hand and breaking the tense silence. His former classmate had apologised profusely to Harry when they saw each other again for the first time after Ginny had cheated on Harry with him, saying he had thought they had split up already because Ginny didn't talk about him anymore.

In spite of what Dean thought, Harry wasn't at all mad at him. Sure, he would have liked it more if Ginny hadn't cheated on him, but everything had worked out in the end and he was genuinely happy for the couple.

"Didn't think you'd be the first one to get hitched, but well, you've always been special," Dean laughed and winked.

"Life has a funny way of working out," Harry agreed with a grin; his silver ring glittering in the sunlight pouring through the window.

"I suppose I should congratulate you on your engagement," Ginny muttered; her brown eyes flitting towards Harry's engagement ring. A myriad of emotions swirled in her eyes, but Harry couldn't figure out exactly what they meant.

"Don't act too happy, Weasley, you might hurt yourself," Draco smiled sharply; grey eyes narrowed slightly.

Harry squeezed his hand warningly and hastened to say, before an argument could erupt, "Thanks, Ginny, I appreciate it."

Even if she hadn't congratulated them explicitly; this was the most he was going to get from her and he accepted that. If she wanted to continue holding on to a senseless grudge – because really, it wasn't as if Draco had ever actually done much to her – then that was her problem. Not his.

"Do you have a date in mind already?" Hermione asked and the atmosphere became lighter, her question breaking the tension.

Harry smiled and tugged Draco towards the couch, knowing that Hermione was going to have a fit when they told her they hadn't planned anything yet. Not planning anything immediately was akin to blasphemy in Hermione's world. He was going to enjoy this upcoming conversation immensely.

* * *

If anyone had told Harry a year before that Hermione and Narcissa would work closely together to organise his wedding, he would have laughed straight into that person's face and advised them to get their head checked.

As it was, they _did_ work together and they were quite terrifying when they ganged up on him and Draco to convince them of something needed in the wedding.

They had handed over the majority of the wedding preparations to the two women; the both of them not really certain how they would go about it. Draco knew more about Bonding rituals and wedding preparations than Harry did, but he seemed content to let his mother take the reign. They had decided to get married in December, deeming a winter themed wedding perfect.

Overall the preparations went smoothly mostly thanks to Hermione and Narcissa, but a couple of meltdowns couldn't be avoided unfortunately. The first meltdown happened courtesy of Teddy, who, after a long day of being carried around, had grown tired of being put into various outfits and had started crying, stamping his feet on the ground as he refused to try out one more outfit. If Harry had to be honest, he couldn't really blame Teddy for having a tantrum; even he had grown weary of being dragged into various stores and he had been more than ready to go home and rest; maybe even bitch to Draco for putting him through that torture alone.

They had to postpone finding an outfit for Teddy until the week after.

The second meltdown was not really a meltdown per se, but more accurately Draco being pushed past his breaking point. With the wedding approaching fast, they still had to decide on the flavour of the cake. The blonde haired woman appointed to explain the different tastes had remained under the stubborn assumption that Harry was getting married to Hermione, despite his numerous corrections. After one "Maybe you'll like this one more; most women tend to like the fruity taste of this one." too many, Draco had snapped and the woman had been nearly brought to tears once the blond was done cussing her out and he had dragged Harry out of the bakery.

They didn't return to that particular bakery and instead had their cake ordered at a bakery they had initially ignored when they had gone to the first one.

Two weeks before the wedding, Parkinson had decided that she didn't like the colour nor the particular snit of her bridesmaid dress. Safe to say, Harry had never witnessed Hermione so furious before and the two girls had had a screaming match that had seemed to last for hours. He and Draco had slipped out of the room, silently agreeing that it would be best if they stayed out of the argument.

Unsurprisingly, Hermione had won the argument.

And then the day of the wedding arrived.

* * *

"So you're really sure about this, mate?" Ron asked dubiously, hovering near the doorway.

"Yes, Ron, I'm sure," Harry said patiently, repeating the reassurance for the umpteenth time. "Are you sure you're not going to object once we reach that part?" he added dryly, adjusting the flower in his breast pocket.

It was a Forget-Me-Not; the bright blue flower stood out starkly against his white shirt. It was the one flower he and Draco hadn't budged on when Narcissa had discussed flower arrangements with them. There were roses in various colours grouped in vases on the tables and aligned against the walls, but the two wizards had refused to wear anything but a Forget-Me-Not on their person. The blue flower represented true love and meant "key to my heart", which made it the perfect flower to wear. As soon as they had discovered the meaning, they both had known that this flower was the best choice for them. Their relationship had started with flowers – it was only natural they continued to use them for the most important day in their lives.

"Of course not!" Ron sounded insulted. "I accepted the git in the end, didn't I?" he continued sullenly.

"Hm, I guess you can put it like that," Harry murmured, mind flashing back to the day he had told Ron and the rest of the Weasleys that he was together with Draco.

" _Out of all the people you could choose, why did you have to pick him?!" Ron snapped, waving wildly at Draco, who looked at him icily. He had been raging for quite a few minutes now, ignoring his mother's hiss to keep his voice down._

" _Because he has taste obviously," Draco sneered and Harry was quite sure his gaze flitted to Ginny briefly._

" _Taste?" Ron laughed incredulously. "Hit on the head too many times is more like it! Really, Harry, I don't care that you like boys, but couldn't you have picked someone better?"_

" _No, because I don't want anyone else," Harry snapped, anger flaring up in defence of the blond wizard. "I'm with Draco and I'm not planning on leaving him, so you better start accepting that fact!"_

" _All that time that you spent with that ferret – were you cheating on me then?" Ginny growled; her eyes practically shooting fire, while Dean lingered behind her awkwardly._

" _Like I just told you, we've only been together for three months," Harry answered impatiently, irritation surging through him. Teddy whimpered, obviously disliking the raised voices, and buried his head into Harry's shoulder. "So no, I didn't cheat on you and don't call him that!"_

" _Accusing him of cheating on you is rich, Weasley," Draco snorted and his arm curled around Harry's waist, pulling him closer to him. His eyes glinted like stone as he continued coldly, "Who was it again who cheated on who? You know the saying: people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones? You're the perfect example of that, Weaslette. You might as well have your picture plastered next to the entry of hypocrisy in the dictionary!"_

_Ginny flushed an ugly red and Harry braced himself wearily. He knew that particular shade from when they had still been together._

_The argument wasn't over by a long shot yet._

It had taken Ron a week to cool off; when they had met on neutral ground – which was the Leaky Cauldron – his friend had apologised, ashamed of his initial reaction. Harry had forgiven him, but not before warning him that he wouldn't tolerate any more insults towards Draco – he had told Draco the exact same thing. He wouldn't have his best friends and boyfriend behaving like cats and dogs the entire time.

Ginny had seemed content to ignore their rather vicious argument and Harry had followed her in that, not in the mood to keep arguing about it.

"And as long as you're happy, Harry, I'm happy," Ron muttered, looking a bit uncomfortable but sincere.

"Thanks, Ron. That means a lot," Harry smiled and nerves started racing through him when his eyes landed on the clock, announcing it was only a few more minutes until the ceremony would start.

Only a few more minutes until he and Draco were going to get married.

_Oh god._

"Oh damn," he muttered and sank down on the chair, feeling a bit lightheaded. Now that the day was finally there, he could hardly believe he was actually going to get married today. After today they would be Bonded for life; there was no going back from this.

"Daddy?" Teddy waddled over to him, patting his knees gently. He was dressed in light blue robes – the only outfit which hadn't made him throw a tantrum.

"I'm okay, Teddy," he smiled reassuringly, but his hands wavered a bit when he reached out to hug his godson.

"You okay, Harry?" Ron asked worriedly, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Yeah, just a bit – nervous I guess," Harry replied, letting out his breath slowly.

"Well, you're going to get married to the git – it's no surprise you're nervous," Ron grinned, before his face softened and he glanced away. "Look, Bill was nervous too when he got married; guess it's something normal to feel."

"First time I'll be normal then," the dark haired man quipped, smiling down at Teddy who grinned back and hugged his neck tightly.

"Everything will be fine," his best friend stated confidently. "Now get out there before the ferret throws a fit."

"Stop calling him that, Ron," Harry sighed, but his nerves subsided a bit and he rose up from his chair; his hand wrapped around Teddy's smaller fist. "All right, guess it's time to go," he murmured and swallowed; butterflies racing madly in his stomach.

"Go get him," Ron grinned and lifted Teddy on his hip. Teddy would sit with his grandmother during the ceremony and Ron would be at his side as his best man.

Heart beating faster, Harry exited the room at the same moment the clock struck ten o'clock; ready to meet Draco at the altar.

It was time.

* * *

When pressed to answer, Harry had to confess that he couldn't remember much of the actual ceremony. He knew he and Draco said their vows at the right time, because the ceremony proceeded without any issues, but all he was aware of was the man standing next to him; the silver blue rope tying their wrists together and the loud sound of his blood rushing through his veins as the master of ceremonies guided them through the ritual and bound them for life.

Then they were suddenly sliding golden rings around each other's finger, emerald green locking onto silver grey, and at long last the master of ceremonies announced, "I hereby pronounce you husband and husband. By the will of magic, may your love never die. You may now kiss."

The moment their mouths locked together, Harry could feel his magic rising to the surface, dancing around him and entwining itself around Draco's, binding them more thoroughly than any other binding spell ever would. His heart sang and he was only vaguely aware of the guests applauding and cheering as they shared their first official kiss as a married pair.

They would soon leave to a remote island to spend their honeymoon there. Harry had made sure to not give his students any homework – and he would forever be grateful for Narcissa to have come up with the idea of sending Teddy part-time to the wizard equivalent of a kindergarten; Teddy needed the time around children to socialise – and Draco had put his studies on hold so they could properly enjoy each other.

Before they could leave, though, they still had to be present at the party where they would be surrounded by their guests; some happier than others to see them married.

But all that was shoved into the back corner of his mind for now.

All that mattered at this moment was the soft touch of lips against his own; warm, powerful hands resting on his lower back and the love shining clearly in mesmerizing grey eyes.

Nothing else mattered right now but the man in his arms.

His husband, his Bonded partner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: Not exactly confident about the last scene, but I'm rather proud how the whole proposal went - can a writer be proud of a scene? Anyway, I hope you liked it, despite how the last scene went.
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me!
> 
> Next - and last chapter - will be called English Daisy and Day Lily!
> 
> I hope to see you all back in the last chapter!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


	8. English Daisy and Day Lily

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Much later than I had anticipated, but it's finally finished! Yes, this is the last chapter of this story. With this I conclude my very first completely fluffy multichaptered fic! I have never written so much fluff before I tackled this story and I'm grateful for everyone of you who supported me through this fluffy journey! Your reviews definitely inspired me to write! 
> 
> Thank you for your comments and the kudos! I never expected this story to reach more than 300 kudos :O You guys seriously overwhelmed me!
> 
> Warnings: Time skip; MPreg; birth; flashback and fluff of course!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling owns it.
> 
> For the last time: I hope you'll like it!

_Chapter 8 English Daisy and Day Lily_

"Can anyone tell me why Mister Laten's Bursting Sunlight Curse failed?" Harry inquired calmly, catching the wand of Matthew Laten deftly as it soared to him through the air thanks to the Disarming spell he had used. Faint amusement stirred in him as he watched his student keep slipping over the patch of ice he had created on the floor before he finally regained his balance and stumbled back to his desk, face red with embarrassment.

He nearly let his wand slip through his fingers when Harry threw it at him.

Green eyes wandered over the faces of his fourth year students; three hands rose, one more hesitant than the others, and he supressed a smile when his eyes landed on the girl in the front row on his right. She reminded him of Hermione from her enthusiasm and eagerness to study down to the curly brown locks.

"Yes, Miss Greenlock?"

She promptly answered, "Because the Bursting Sunlight Curse is one of the few curses which really rely on the environment they are cast in, professor. As there is no immediate sunlight present at the moment, the curse won't have any effect."

"Very good, Miss Greenlock. Ten points to Gryffindor," Harry smiled and the girl visibly preened.

He turned to address the whole class again. "Can anyone give me three other examples of nature linked curses?"

It took the students longer this time to come up with three other curses, but Harry ended the lesson contently.

"Next week, we're going to start discussing some Dark Creatures that like to dwell in water," Harry announced over the ruckus of students stuffing their notes and books into their bags, eager to leave the class and start the weekend. "I advise you to read chapter twenty-five and twenty-six by then, so you at least have some clue as to which creatures we'll be talking about."

Some people groaned, clearly not in the mood to do any reading – and Harry would be a hypocrite if he stated he had liked reading every chapter the professors had assigned to him when he was still a student – but the majority of them greeted him cheerfully, wishing him a great weekend.

As soon as the door swung shut behind the last student and silence descended upon the classroom, Harry sank down in his chair with a sigh and rubbed his forehead absentmindedly. He loved teaching, but it had been a rather tiring week and he was glad that the weekend had finally arrived.

He had been teaching Defence against the Dark Arts for three years now; it had taken some time to figure out the lesson plans for each year, as McGonagall had given him all seven years at once, but with the help of Hermione and Draco he had managed to put a plan together adjusted to each year.

When McGonagall had offered him the position as DADA teacher, he hadn't wanted to accept it at first. It wasn't that he despised teaching, but he hadn't known what to do with Teddy during the hours he was teaching a class and he couldn't expect Draco or Andromeda to keep babysitting the boy. Without a doubt they would have done so if he had asked them, but Draco was studying to become a Potions Master and Andromeda had already raised one child before. She was also getting older – even though she would use a Stinging Hex on him if he ever referred to her as old – and would tire quicker if she had to look after an energetic toddler every day.

Harry had been close to refusing the offer, but help had come out from a rather unexpected source.

" _You know I wouldn't mind taking care of Teddy during the hours you'd be teaching," Draco said, leaning back into the chair and reaching for his glass of chilled lemon tea at the same time._

_They were in the garden of Malfoy Manor with the early June sun creating a pleasant warm haze. All around them bees were buzzing around, flying from one flower to the next and some birds chirped high in the trees at the back of the garden. Teddy was playing a few feet away from them on a blanket on the grass; currently his attention was focused on putting the various colourful shapes into the right holes and he squealed in delight every time he managed to push the object through the correct hole, causing it to shine and utter some high chirped noises._

" _I know, but you're busy with your potions," Harry retorted and shook his head. "I can't ask you to neglect your own studies, Draco. That wouldn't be fair to you."_

" _It's not like you're going to be teaching day in, day out. Not even Severus did that and that man took his job seriously," Draco snorted and rolled his eyes._

" _Still wouldn't be fair to you," the dark haired man sighed and shrugged. "Maybe it's better to wait until Teddy is old enough to entertain himself on his own for a few hours."_

" _While I admire you for caring about Teddy so much," Draco murmured and eyed him carefully, "you shouldn't have to put your life on hold completely for him either. Every parent needs some time for themselves, even the great Harry Potter." The corners of his mouth twitched a bit._

" _I know that," Harry riposted annoyed. "I do take time for myself; I spend time with you and my friends, don't I?"_

" _And usually Teddy is present," Draco remarked dryly. "Look, I know you. You need something to do, otherwise you go stir crazy. Why not accept McGonagall's offer? We'll figure something out for Teddy."_

" _If I may interrupt." Narcissa stepped out on the patio; her bright blonde hair falling across her back like a waterfall. She smiled faintly and folded her hands together. "Why not enrol Teddy in a kindergarten? It doesn't have to be for the entire day. You could work out a schedule with the Headmistress which still would give you enough time with Teddy so you won't miss out on his development."_

" _The Wizarding World has kindergartens?" Harry asked baffled._

_Draco regarded him incredulously. "Where do you think young children stay when a family doesn't have house elves and both parents are working? Granted, some do have private tutors, but if you have enough money to afford a private tutor, you can afford house elves," he added as an afterthought._

" _Being around other children his age will also help develop his social skills further," Narcissa remarked and smiled serenely when Teddy looked up and waved at her._

_It was true that Teddy would need to be around children his own age soon, if only to be able to play with them. Attending a kindergarten would certainly provide that opportunity. But where would he be able to find a kindergarten? This was the first time he had even heard of their existence in the Wizarding World and he hadn't encountered any in the streets he had frequented._

" _Fine, but I'm going to need your help in finding a good one," he acquiesced, taking a sip of his tea._

It had taken them a bit more than a month to find a good kindergarten. Narcissa had compiled a list for them – and how she had compiled that list when Draco had never attended a kindergarten, Harry didn't know – and he and Draco had visited each one mentioned on it. Some had been crossed off the list, because they wouldn't work with the hours Harry would have. Others Harry had refused to consider, because they were more interested in talking to _the_ Harry Potter instead of paying attention to his godson. Eventually they had found one relatively close to Harry's house, which would allow Draco to pick up Teddy on days Harry couldn't.

Teddy would turn five in a month; Draco and Harry would have start to discuss whether they would hire a private tutor for him or not.

When his first day as professor had arrived, he had thought it would be too strange or that he wouldn't be able to gain the respect of his students. It wasn't as if he had had complete respect for all his professors – as Snape liked to snidely remind him from time to time. Aside from some obvious cases of hero-worship, though, the students were rather easy to teach. Even the Slytherins, which had been rather surprising for Harry, considering the role he had played in the war. The majority of that House seemed to at least respect his knowledge and his amount of magic, if not he himself and that was good enough for the dark haired man. He had made it clear from the start that he wouldn't tolerate any prejudice or bigotry in his classes or the hallways and that seemed to have worked in his favour as well.

Quite some of his colleagues – and he suspected it would be years before that thought wouldn't feel strange anymore – were surprised at the way he handled the Slytherins, having expected that particular House to rebel the most against him. The oldest ones – people who had experienced the war first hand – knew better than to challenge him; the youngest were more likely to be wary, but seemed to have been warned against provoking him. As long as he didn't have to fend off an attack, Harry didn't care what kept the Slytherins in line, be it respect for his power or something else.

Considering he was the first DADA teacher to survive more than one year, however, that might have helped his reputation as well. Harry was quite proud of being the one to break the supposed curse on the course; it felt like a final 'fuck you' to Voldemort.

The impatient pecking of an owl's beak against a window brought him out of memory lane and he shook his head, turning his head towards the sound. As soon as he realised just whose owl was glaring back at him, he scrambled for his wand and opened the window with a hasty flick of his wand.

The owl, a deep chest nut brown coloured one, flew gracefully into the classroom and hooted reproachfully when he landed soundlessly on the desk.

Harry rolled his eyes, slipping his wand back into his pocket. "As if you could have been waiting for long," he muttered and pulled his fingers back in time to avoid being pecked.

He and the owl held a staring match for a moment until he ruffled his feathers and stuck out his leg as if he was a king offering his hand to kiss. Harry barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes again; he was pretty sure that if he did that, the bloody bird would try to attack him again.

The second Harry had the letter in his hand, the owl took off with a last indignant look, soaring out of the window; clearly been instructed not to wait for a reply.

The folded letter only bore his name, but the handwriting caused his heart to stutter and then go in overdrive and his stomach did an odd twist as he quickly opened the letter, eager – and apprehensive – to find out the result. The letter actually had two sheets of paper and he focused on the message first.

' _Potter,_

_I concluded your bloodwork today. It is positive as I am certain you already knew._

_I will send you the date of your next appointment next Thursday._

_Have a pleasant weekend._

_Sincerely,_

_Millicent Bulstrode'_

Well, Bulstrode was to the point as always – but that was what he appreciated in her. The second piece of paper contained some numbers and words that were too technical for him to understand, but his eyes zoomed in on one particular line near the end of the parchment and a grin broke out on his face. This was the perfect way to start the weekend.

And he knew just the right way to break the news to his husband.

* * *

Humming a nonsensical tune – maybe he had picked it up from the radio, but he couldn't recall which song it was and he didn't particularly care either way – he turned over the slabs of chicken breasts so that they could fry on the other side as well. The faint scent of garlic lingered above the pan and the oil hissed slightly, but didn't spat up too high. Next to the pan a pot with potatoes was boiling and in the second cooking pot cut up carrots were being stewed together with a sliced onion bits and some garlic.

The table was set and dinner was nearly finished; Teddy was upstairs, putting together a jigsaw puzzle, which had a thousand pieces, waiting until he would be called down for dinner. Nothing more could be done, except for waiting for one other person to arrive, who had gone to a conference about certain potions in Wales.

If everything had gone according to plan, he should have received Harry's gift around half an hour ago, so that would mean he would be home –

A grin unfurled on his face when the tell-tale sound of the Floo activating reached his ears. He barely had time to lower the fire underneath the pan and pots and turn around before hasty footsteps halted suddenly near the kitchen door.

Wide, grey eyes were the first thing he met when Draco stepped inside, clenching a small bouquet in his right hand.

"Ah, so you did get my flowers," Harry smiled, cocking his head to the right. "I wasn't sure whether the owl would find you on time, considering you were in Wales. How was the conference? Did you pick up anything interesting?"

"Never mind that," Draco said tersely and took a few steps closer; his movements jerky instead of fluid as if someone was pulling him along by strings. "Is this – you're not fucking around with me, right?"

"Fucking is what landed us in this situation actually," Harry said brightly and his grin widened when the blond growled agitatedly.

"Harry, don't – don't joke about this, okay?" A hint of desperation rang through Draco's voice and he wove a card in the air. "This – this is really true?"

Harry didn't need to read the text in the card to know what it said; he had been the one to write it after all. _"In seven months it will be either pink or blue."_ A rather short message, but coupled with the twelve flowers he had sent to Draco, the meaning of it couldn't be misunderstood.

The flowers were English daisies; six of them were the normal pink colour you could expect an English daisy to be. The other six had been spelt blue, as per Harry's request. The owner of the flower shop had looked a bit dubiously, but had fulfilled his demand, not caring either way as long as he got paid.

Aside from being pretty and smelling nice, the English daisy had a particular meaning attached to it which had made it perfectly suited for Harry's surprise.

Taking pity on Draco – who looked ready to explode from sheer nerves – Harry retrieved a small vial with bright purple liquid out of his pocket, together with the letter Bulstrode had sent him earlier today.

He showed both items to the blond wizard, whose eyes widened even more as he gaped flabbergasted at the other man.

"It's true, Draco," Harry murmured, letting the light catch on to the vial. The purple liquid inside shone, sloshing gently against the glass walls when Harry tipped it slightly. "I took the test yesterday and had Bulstrode test my blood to be double sure. She sent me the results today. I'm nine weeks pregnant according to the results."

Astonished he watched how tears slowly wiggled their way down sharp cheekbones, grey glinting silver, before Draco cut the remaining distance between them with a couple of large steps and then Harry found himself engulfed in a tight embrace; Draco's face buried in his neck. He shivered slightly when wetness slid from his neck down to his collarbone before it became absorbed by the cloth of his shirt.

Blindly he put the letter and the vial next to him on the counter – mindful to keep both away from the simmering pots – and slipped his own arms around Draco's shoulders, feeling the man tremble slightly.

"Would your ancestors approve of such an emotional reaction?" Harry teased; his fingers running up and down over Draco's spine.

"My ancestors can sod off. I'm happy, is that a crime?" Draco replied, voice muffled, restricted by Harry's skin.

"Not a crime, no. Did you think the potion wouldn't work?" Harry wondered and kissed Draco's temple. Even though Draco hadn't kept up his masks in front of Harry for years now, the dark haired man was surprised at the very open reaction he received to the news. He knew the blond would be happy; he just hadn't realised it would make him so happy to the point of actual tears.

"Of course not; I knew it would work. I brewed it myself after all," Draco sniffed, sounding a tad affronted, and lifted his head, scowling at the younger wizard.

The heat of his scowl was severely lessened by the look of wonder still lingering in grey eyes as they shifted downwards and gazed at his stomach. A hand slipped from behind Harry's back and came to rest on his stomach, caressing it almost reverently.

Four months ago they had decided they were ready to have a child together. After an extensive discussion about the various ways that existed to have children, they had settled on using a potion. The potion itself would take a month to brew; not because it was that complicated – or so Draco told him – but because the ingredients heavily relied on the different phases of the moon. The day the fertility potion had finally been finished, Draco had brought it with him when he left his potion's lab; his eyes shining unnaturally bright. The potion required the drinker of it to have a reasonable amount of magic available, to sustain both the pregnancy and create the necessary organs for a child to be able to grow. Bearing that in mind, Harry had been the natural choice to drink it; his reserve of magic being a bit larger than Draco's.

Now Harry was pregnant and before the end of the year arrived, they would have a baby with genes of them both.

"Why didn't you tell me that you had taken a test?" Draco asked, a slight frown marring his forehead. "I'd have liked to see the result together with you."

"You've always surprised me with flowers, now it was my turn to surprise you," Harry replied, grinning. "And when I discovered that English daisies are used to announce someone is expecting … Well, I couldn't resist it."

"You're lucky I'm far too happy now to punish you," Draco muttered, but a smile persisted around the corners of his mouth and Harry wasn't very inclined to take his threat seriously.

Draco's attention focused back on Harry's stomach – something which the green eyed man figured he would have to get used to for the remaining months of his pregnancy – and his hand slipped underneath his shirt, palming his bare skin.

"I bet Teddy's going to be excited when we tell him he's going to be a big brother soon," Draco smirked, eyes glinting.

Strangely it was that innocent remark that caused a lump to form in Harry's throat and he pressed his face into Draco's neck, hiding furtively the few stray tears leaking out of his eyes.

Draco made no secret of the fact that he considered Teddy part of their own little family; hell, he had even put in his proposal that he wanted to take care of both Harry and Teddy. As far as the blond man was concerned, Teddy was like a son to them. The four year old had even started calling Draco 'papa' sometimes; the title becoming more frequent as the weeks passed.

So no, it shouldn't really come as a surprise that Draco would refer to Teddy as the big brother of their baby – yet it still touched him to hear the comment leave his husband so casually, as if there was no doubt about it that the boy would be excited.

It made him love Draco even more – and he hadn't thought that was possible after these years already loving each other.

Pale fingers slid underneath his chin and gripped it, pulling his face up and away from Draco's neck. The moment Harry was facing him again, Draco dipped down and kissed him sweetly; their lips rubbing slowly against each other.

Slowly they pulled apart and a peaceful silence surrounded them.

That was until Draco opened his mouth, smirking, and said, "I can't wait to see the faces of the Weasleys when we tell them the news. How badly do you think their red faces will clash with their hair?"

Harry knew he should be offended on the Weasleys' behalf, but he just shook his head and laughed, feeling so light he could start floating without the aid of magic.

It was good to be home.

* * *

They waited until Harry was nearly sixteen weeks pregnant to inform their friends and family he was expecting a baby. In spite of not having been around many pregnant women, he knew that the first three months were considered the more precarious ones. Draco had reassured him that his own pregnancy would go smoother, thanks to his magic, but Harry had insisted on waiting just to be sure and the blond had relented.

Teddy was the first person to know about the baby. It only made sense, considering he would be the baby's big brother.

"A baby?" Teddy cocked his head curiously; his bright blue eyes fixated on Harry's stomach, where the barest bump had started to become visible through his shirt. "In your belly?"

"Yes, in my belly," Harry smiled, patting his stomach gently. "The baby will be born in November according to the Healer."

"But now the baby stays in your belly?" Teddy regarded his waist rather dubiously, as if he had trouble imagining how a baby would stay there.

"The baby has to grow for a few more months before he or she's ready to be born, Teddy," Draco explained, kneeling next to Teddy on the carpet. "What do you think? Are you ready to be a big brother?"

The look the five year old gave him was so offended and so Malfoy-like, that Harry burst out in laughter, ignoring the scowl Draco threw him.

"Of course I'm ready!" Teddy stated, wrinkling his nose, putting his hands on his hips. "I'm a big boy, papa!"

"Yes, Draco, he's a big boy, have you forgotten that?" Harry said, lightly mocking the blond.

Teddy took it as support for him and beamed at his godfather, before dropping the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and reaching out with his arms. "I want to sit on your lap, daddy," he stated and that was that.

Harry bent down and helped him sit on his lap, grinning over the boy's head at Draco. The other man rolled his eyes and snorted softly, before rising up again, going to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

And that was that.

* * *

The next to be informed were Draco's parents. Narcissa's eyes had positively sparkled when Draco told her she would become a grandmother soon. Forgoing her stiff upbringing, she had hugged her son and kissed Harry's cheek before embracing him as well.

If there had been a sheen of tears in her eyes, neither of the two men had remarked on it. Lucius had been more stiff in his congratulations and he had refused to look Harry right in the eye, but he had sounded sincere when he told Draco he was happy for them. There had been even a spark of pride lurking in the depths of those ice cold grey eyes and that was good enough for Harry.

Andromeda had definitely acted more enthusiastic than Lucius and had even assured Harry that she wouldn't have any trouble acting as a grandmother for the baby too, too excited at the prospect of another baby joining the family.

Ron and Hermione had been informed separately from the Weasley family. They were Harry's oldest friends and something as intimate as expecting a baby was something they deserved to be told without the extended family hovering near them.

Hermione had actually burst out into tears before hugging him tightly, already babbling about the books she would read to help them and the furniture and other necessities they would have to buy for the baby. Ron, while as red as a fire engine, had squeezed his shoulder and had said he was happy for them – but that if the baby turned out to have Draco's temper, he would refuse to babysit him or her.

That had elicited a big argument between Draco and Ron that had lasted for nearly two hours and had only ended because Harry had claimed he needed to rest a bit. Draco's protectiveness had risen to new heights with the pregnancy and the dark haired man was not above making use of it in order to stop stupid discussions.

The other Weasleys had been told as last. Molly and Arthur had immediately offered their assistance in any way needed – with Molly subtly hinting to her other children that she'd like to see more grandchildren soon. Charlie had sent his congratulations through a letter, too busy protecting some dragons from poachers to come over for a visit. Percy had offered his congratulations as well, rather stiffly, but well meant. Fleur had kissed both their cheeks, squeezing their hands, and Bill had clapped their shoulders good-naturedly.

Ginny had smiled and when she had congratulated them, it had been sincere. She and Harry would never be as close as they had been during school, but they had settled into a comfortable friendship and she no longer felt the need to utter snide remarks about Draco. Having her hair turn green for nearly two months after Harry's accidental magic had struck when she had annoyed him one time too many might have helped change her opinion too.

McGonagall had been informed shortly before Harry was twenty-two weeks pregnant. It being the exam period, he wasn't in any danger of being hit by a stray hex, but precautions had to be taken for the new school year. Harry would be almost nine months pregnant by the time September rolled around and Draco had been adamant that he wouldn't bring himself or their baby in danger by continuing to teach hexes and curses. Harry would just teach the theoretical part of the course for the weeks he would still be teaching and a substitute – someone Harry and McGonagall had decided on together – would take over the practical part.

The press had got wind of the pregnancy near the end of June. Harry had been present during the graduation of the seventh years and some of the press had sneaked in, snapping pictures as soon as they noticed the rounded swell of his stomach.

Their requests for an interview were ignored, bar a simple confirmation of the pregnancy, and especially Draco took great delight in squashing the reporters' hopes whenever they swooped down like vultures during the moments Harry was in public.

Even married to Harry Potter and expecting a baby would not rid Draco of his sharp tongue.

* * *

He didn't know what had woken him up. It could have been the cloying summer heat lingering in the air or the faint nudges his baby was giving as he – or she, they would finally, hopefully, find out in the morning whether they would have a son or a daughter – tumbled around in his stomach. Being twenty-five weeks pregnant, the fluttering movements of a few weeks ago had made place for nudges and firm kicks. Harry was just glad the baby wasn't in the mood to beat his organs into submission – yet.

With his next inhale, he became aware of feather light touches dancing over his rounded belly and heat centring near his hip and leg. Before he could open his eyes and ask Draco what on earth he was doing in the middle of the night, his brain finally registered Draco speaking and his heart skipped a beat when the words travelled into his ears.

"I'm going to make sure you want for nothing," Draco whispered; fingers caressing the top of Harry's belly slowly. "You won't have to go extreme lengths just to satisfy your parents. You won't have to be the perfect son – or daughter." A gentle puff that could have been a silent chuckle.

"I'm not going to be like my father," Draco promised, his voice impossibly low even when he whispered. "I love my father, but he made a lot of mistakes. I'm going to be better than him. You deserve a better father and I'm going to give you that. I'm going to make sure you'll never have to wonder whether you're good enough. Because to me, you're always going to be good enough. Even if you're not going to excel at Potions," he added amused, but the light-hearted tone didn't chip away the determination or the old traces of grief and disappointment.

"You're going to grow up, knowing you're loved. I'll make sure of that," Draco whispered after a brief silence and Harry felt lips gently pressing a kiss on top of his belly.

Draco slipped from underneath the covers, curling back around Harry; an arm draped across his hips, right underneath his belly.

"You're already a better father than him, you know," Harry said softly and Draco stilled next to him, obviously not having noticed he was awake. "If you don't believe me, just ask Teddy."

"Just reassuring our baby, Harry. I don't need the reassurance myself, I know I'm great," Draco murmured, a smirk audible in his voice, but his arm tightened around Harry's hips and he pressed his face into Harry's neck; his breath stirring the miniscule hairs there.

"As long as you know," Harry murmured; his hand sliding into mussed up, blond hair.

A small hand gave a nudge near his hip; they fell asleep once more, soothed by the faint stirring of their baby.

* * *

"And you're sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" Draco asked tersely, hovering on Harry's side.

The urge to snap at the blond wizard rose like a snake ready to strike, but before he could open his mouth, a new wave of hellish pain – because that pain was not normal, _Merlin_ – washed over him and instead of the snide retort, a low groan of pain left him and he braced himself with his hands against the wall, trying to ride the contraction as best as he could.

Hands started massaging his lower back and a sliver of relief worked its way through the fierce contraction and he sighed softly. Forget snapping at the other man; if his massages remained this good until the end, he would ignore his stupid remarks.

When he stopped feeling like a knife was twisting around in his gut, he straightened out again, panting softly. "You know why I don't want to go to the hospital, Draco," he sighed, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. "I don't trust anyone there to keep their mouth shut and I really don't want to deal with the press now."

"Have I given you reason to doubt my skills to bring this delivery to a good end, Draco?" Bulstrode inquired dryly as she entered the room, giving the parchment – which was recording Harry's progress – a quick glance. "Weasley and Granger have arrived. They're downstairs, entertaining your godson."

"I don't doubt you, Millicent," Draco answered and grimaced. "I just don't want anything to happen to Harry or the baby."

"It's nice to hear at least someone trusts I'm capable," she snorted, sinking down on a chair she had conjured. "Your parents look ready to curse me if they so much as hear a wrong peep."

"That's Narcissa, all right," Harry chuckled weakly, rubbing a hand soothingly over his stomach.

For two weeks they had been anxiously awaiting the moment he would go into labour and now, on the eight of November, their son was ready to be born. Shortly after breakfast, his water had broken and they had alerted Bulstrode, seeing as she was his Healer and the one helping him deliver their baby.

Most people went to Saint Mungos to give birth, but frankly Harry didn't trust any of the hospital staff to keep their mouth shut. Someone would probably let it slip that he was having his baby today and he really didn't want to deal with the avalanche of reporters who would crowd the corridors, eager to catch a glimpse of him. Today was about him giving birth, about finally holding their son into their arms, and he wouldn't let that special day be ruined by news hungry sharks.

Draco had initially been against a home birth. He was afraid something would go wrong during labour and there wouldn't be any professional help nearby. They had quite a few arguments about it, until Harry had suggested they'd ask Bulstrode's opinion about it. She had reassured them she had experience with home births and given how smoothly the pregnancy had gone, she saw no problems in allowing a home birth to happen. Even more, she had explained to them, a home birth was actually preferred if there were no immediate problems, because the magic of the house would help Harry during labour.

Something about the mixture of his, Draco's and Teddy's magic would aid as some kind of stabilizer and ease the process of giving birth a bit.

As soon as Draco had been reassured that giving birth at home would actually benefit Harry more than giving birth in the hospital, he had agreed to it – taking every precaution there existed, just to make sure nothing bad would happen.

"She's excited to see her grandson," Draco said and shrugged.

Bulstrode looked at him as if she didn't consider that a good enough excuse of potentially doubting her skills, but didn't remark on it.

Another contraction made Harry gasp aloud, taken by surprise by it, and as Draco rubbed soothingly over his back, pressing a kiss against his sweaty temple, Bulstrode muttered, "Nine centimetres. It won't be long anymore, Potter."

He would be relieved at hearing that, if he wasn't currently feeling like someone was twisting claws in his gut.

It was hard to feel relief when one felt like he was being subjected to the Cruciatus Curse after all.

* * *

If he had thought that time had gone slow while waiting for the potion to do its work and become dilated enough, he clearly had underestimated all the ways time could screw him over during the actual pushing.

It felt like he had been punishing for hours already, but the clock – and the waning, weak sunlight – showed that it had only been two hours.

Two hours in which he had been trying to push his son out of his body, but it was as if he was barely making any progress at all.

Panting harshly, he fell back against Draco's chest, all his muscles screaming in protest as the contraction died out.

"You're doing great, love," Draco whispered in his ear, brushing his sweaty hair back. "Just a bit more and then you're done."

"You've been saying that for an hour already," Harry grunted and squeezed Draco's hand harshly when the next contraction crashed into him and he had to push again. He felt a sadistic sort of glee at the wince passing over Draco's face. He was the one pushing something the size of a god damn watermelon out of a small hole – Draco could put up with having his hand crushed, damn it!

"This time he's right," Bulstrode said calmly; her eyes trained at Harry's lower body. If Harry wasn't in so much pain, he would have been embarrassed at having her stare at him in such a place. "I can see his head. You just need to give a few big pushes and you'll be done."

"I, hgn, better be!" Harry grunted and took a deep breath and started pushing again, refusing to let the exhaustion take control over him.

Time both seemed to slow down and speed up as he pushed with all his might, heedless to the stream of encouragement being muttered into his ear or the hand rubbing over his lower back.

Then, suddenly, a hellish burning pain, and emptiness, hollow as if someone had carved a giant hole in him.

Harry fell back, head spinning, limbs trembling and tensed up, but he sobbed in relief when the piercing cry of his son rebounded through the room, announcing his presence to the world.

"Congratulations, it's a healthy baby boy," Bulstrode chuckled, cutting the umbilical cord and cleaning up the wailing baby.

"Give him here," Harry rasped, and though his arms felt like limp noodles, he held them out, wanting nothing more than to press his baby against his chest, the child he had carried for forty weeks.

A blue blanket was wrapped around their son and then Harry finally held him in his arms; the small weight reassuring.

"God, look at him," he whispered, sight blurry with tears as he stroked the baby's cheek carefully.

Their son stopped their wailing and sniffled, turning his head a bit as if he instinctively knew he was safe.

"He's perfect, Harry," Draco said, voice hoarse, and there were tears in his eyes as well when he looked down at their son. "Absolutely perfect."

"What are you going to name him?" Bulstrode asked conversationally, her wand waving over something Harry didn't see, but knew had to be the afterbirth – and he wasn't going to contemplate how that looked like.

He shuddered and smiled down at their baby boy when pouty, pink lips opened and smacked together loudly.

"Scorpius Sirius," Draco murmured; his breath stirring the small tuft of dark hair covering their son's scalp. The blond had chosen the first name and Harry had insisted on picking the second name, wanting to honour his godfather.

"A good name." She nodded approvingly and rose up from the bed, removing her gloves. "Do you want me to warn your friends and your family?"

"Yes, but give them each a day lily first," Draco said and for the first time since Harry's water broke, a smirk lingered on his face. "Tell them it'll give them a clue whether the baby is a boy or a girl."

Bulstrode raised an eyebrow, throwing a wary look at the blue flowers waiting in a basket underneath a Freshening Up Charm, but nodded and took the basket with her when she left the room.

"That should give us at least a few minutes alone with Scorpius," Draco muttered, turning back to look at their son, who was staring with wide, dark blue eyes up at them.

Harry wondered whether Scorpius would have his eyes or Draco's; they would have to wait a little while until they could tell.

Flowers had been a constant thread in their relationship; in fact, one could say they were indirectly responsible for bringing them together. It was only natural, of course, that they would use a flower as well for an important day as the day their son was born. Except this time, they were giving the flowers to other people and not to each other.

The day lily had a particular meaning attached to it; it was considered an omen of a baby boy and even if the flower hadn't decided the sex of their baby, Harry and Draco had both decided that this flower was the best way to announce they had a son to their family and friends.

For a few months – ever since discovering it themselves – they had kept the sex of their baby a secret, ignoring the whining, the pleading and the various attempts to convince them to spill the truth.

Now the others would finally know they had a baby boy – if they could figure it out, anyway, before they burst into the room.

The sensation of a Locking Ward snapping into place made Harry look up surprised.

"What?" Draco shrugged, twirling his wand between his fingers. His eyes glittered brightly; his cheeks flushed red. "I just want to spend a bit more time alone with you and Scorpius. This way, they'll also actually think about the meaning instead of bursting in here like a herd of hippogriffs." He snorted and shook his head.

"You always have such great ideas," Harry chuckled, sinking a bit deeper into the pillows.

"Of course I have. If I didn't, I wouldn't be here with you now, would I?" Draco murmured, slipping an arm around Harry's shoulders, pulling him closer.

Harry felt his cheeks heat up and when he raised his head, a soft gasp of surprise escaped him when his mouth was captured in a tender kiss.

"I love you," Draco murmured, one hand cupping their son's head, who was dozing, clearly exhausted by the trial of being born.

"I love you too," Harry whispered and they shared a loving smile, before they both gazed down at their son.

A sense of peace and overwhelming love for both the little boy against his chest and the man embracing him filled him, warmed him up.

Who would have thought that everything would start with just a single flower bouquet?

Now they were here. Together. Linked by ties of blood and love.

Flowers might perish, but their love for each other wouldn't.

_That_ Harry believed wholeheartedly.

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN2: I hope I didn't disappoint you with this chapter! It was a tad more difficult to write than I had expected - which is partly the reason why this is posted so late *clears throat*
> 
> So yes, this is the end. Thank you again for your support; I really appreciate your reviews! 
> 
> Please leave your thoughts behind in a review for the last time; if you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
> 
> I hope to see you all in my other stories!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa

**Author's Note:**

> AN2: Hey, look at that, no angst at all. Who'd have thought? LOL So yes, this is going to be a multichaptered fic with each chapter focusing around a specific flower - or flowers at times like this one.
> 
> I hope to see you all in the next chapter, called Snowdrop!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


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